Liberals urge faster timeline on net zero policy amid fear of alienating voters

A growing number of Liberals want the party to land a climate and energy policy sooner rather than later amid fears the internal debate risks ripping the Coalition apart and further alienating voters.

Opposition MPs are bracing for another hot discussion of the net zero emissions target in Tuesday morning’s joint party room meeting.

But several are quietly venting their frustration the focus is on their party’s internal discussion, effectively letting the Government get away with what they see as failures on the same policy front.

Labor is expected to release its 2035 emission reduction target within weeks, although it has yet to receive the advice from the Climate Change Authority that it’s legally required to consider first.

The new target, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wants to be able to talk about when he heads to the UN in late September, is widely tipped to be in the 65-75 per cent range.

Multiple Liberals told The West this announcement should be a trigger for the Opposition to outline at least a framework or broad-brush policy.

O’Connor MP Rick Wilson described that as a “critical juncture” and said his party might have to be more nimble than taking a year to outline its full policy.

He believes being able to outline how much net zero or the 2035 target will cost the economy will give people second thoughts.

“I’m reminded of the Voice referendum, not only by the overwhelming opposition to both the Voice and net zero in my electorate, but also the zeitgeist, corporate Australia, the media, all the clever people were on board,” he told The Nightly.

“I have a contrary view to probably almost everybody else in the political sphere, other than a few of my colleagues.”

But others close to the leadership team believe they can have a “wait and see details” holding pattern answer.

That could work until the Government seeks to legislate the new target, as it did the 43 per cent reduction by 2030 when it came to office in 2022.

But one Liberal believed if they didn’t wrestle back control of the narrative before Parliament returns – after the Prime Minister’s UN trip – then it would be groundhog day, stuck in the same debate yet again.

Three others were worried about the political damage of the debate dragging out.

Shadow energy minister Dan Tehan has said the policy process he’s leading will likely take between nine and 12 months to finalise.

He’s looking at gas, emissions reduction and the broader energy mix.

Mr Tehan will brief the Coalition backbench policy committee on Wednesday about where his taskforce is up to so far.

The Nationals are conducting a separate policy review, led by staunch net zero opponent Matt Canavan, but it is not close to landing a position either.

Mr Wilson said the Liberals would have to take the Nationals’ position into account, but shouldn’t let the timing of the junior coalition party dictate their decision.

Senior moderate Liberal Jane Hume said landing a credible climate and energy policy was the only way the Coalition would find its way back to government.

Polling released on Monday for Liberal-aligned think tank the Blueprint Institute showed just over half the voters who walked away from the Coalition at the May election wanted the party to stick with its commitment to net zero.

“They want a zero emissions future and the way to get there is a sensible energy policy, a transparent energy policy, not one based on ideology but one that’s based on economic sense,” Senator Hume said.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen gleefully leapt on the division during question time.

“It’s all about internal politics for those opposite, it’s all about the leadership of each party. It’s about the Nationals’ interest, not the national interest,” he said.

“Meantime, we will get on with helping Australians with the choices they want to make to afford cheaper energy as a result of a cheaper home batteries.”

The Government is determined to prolong the Opposition’s discomfort by continuing to grant time for debate on a bill put up by former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce to repeal net zero.

Another former Nationals leader, Michael McCormack, used the debate on Monday to say renewable energy companies “quite frankly, can go to hell”.

“These companies, they send out these spivs, they send out these shysters, and they are buying one farmer off and not the farmer’s neighbour. They are making people who are generational friends, friends no more. They are dividing families,” he said.

Mr Joyce said on Monday afternoon that he was wrong to have agreed to let the Nationals sign up to the net zero target when they were in government with Scott Morrison’s Liberals.

Elements of the Liberals quietly think it’s better that the Joyce bill be allowed to keep being debated than that the government force it into a vote.

Ongoing drip-feeding of speeches from conservatives already known to oppose net zero in the chamber will soon become boring, the thinking goes, whereas calling on a vote will force uncomfortable choices on people.

That includes Canning MP Andrew Hastie, who has been publicly outspoken against the net-zero target but as a frontbencher can’t split from any position shadow cabinet takes.

Mr Joyce has advised the shadow minister not to speak on the bill and risk being dumped from the shadow ministry, The Australian reported on Monday.

The Government claims there is a long list of people on both sides of politics who want to speak on Mr Joyce’s repealing net zero bill, and it wouldn’t want anyone to miss out.

However, The Nightly understands that while Labor people might be lining up to speak, there is only a small handful of Coalition people left wanting to make speeches.

The legislation won’t come up again until October 27 due to the timing of the next sittings.