Moderate Liberal decries ‘fatwa’ on net zero as he urges party not to become ‘fringe dwellers’ | Liberal party

Liberal frontbencher Andrew Bragg said any “fatwa” against the word net zero was “ridiculous”; The moderate senator has threatened to quit the frontbench if the party abandons the target and withdraws from the Paris climate agreement.

Bragg’s ultimatum piles further pressure on opposition leader Sussan Ley ahead of a series of high-stakes meetings this week to determine the Coalition’s position on net-zero emissions.

Ahead of the meetings, opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan signaled support for extending the life of coal-fired power plants, possibly with the help of taxpayer subsidies, as part of a strategy to reduce prices through an “energy glut”.

Liberal MPs will meet again in Canberra on Wednesday to discuss the foundations of the party’s energy platform, including a commitment to net zero emissions, before the Liberal shadow ministry meets to confirm a position on Thursday.

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A joint party room meeting has been planned for Sunday, November 16, with the aim of promoting a common position with the National Party. The junior coalition partner has already decided to abandon net zero.

Bragg is among a group of mostly moderate Liberals struggling to salvage some of the commitment to carbon neutrality after opposition to the policy from senior Conservatives who encouraged Ley to not only abandon the Scott Morrison-era 2050 target but also drop any reference to net zero.

This means that whatever position Ley takes, he faces a domestic backlash that will increase pressure on his leadership.

Guardian Australia reported last week a view among some Liberals that the term “net zero” has become as toxic in political debate as the substance of the policy.

Asked on Sunday whether Ley could survive as leader if he bowed to the conservatives and embraced the Nationals’ clear move away from net-zero emissions, Bragg criticized the targeted campaign.

“A fatwa cannot be given in two words. This [net zero] It is an international standard. I mean, it’s absolutely ridiculous to try to act like you’re not going to say two words,” the shadow housing secretary told the ABC’s Insiders.

“Australia is part of the international community. It’s not actually the net zero deal that’s driving up energy prices. It’s Labour’s disastrous energy policies.”

As the moderate Liberals weigh their options if their party adopts the National Party’s position, speculation about front-line resignations and a potential split of the Coalition has resurfaced.

Bragg was pressed several times on Sunday on whether he would resign as a shadow minister if the Liberals abandon net zero altogether and move away from the Paris agreement.

“Of course, but I don’t think we will ever leave Paris. I mean, we are a government party, right. We are not a party on the sidelines, we are not those who live on the sidelines,” he said.

There is no serious talk of the coalition following Donald Trump’s lead and withdrawing Australia from Paris.

Even the nationals do not support withdrawing from Paris despite abandoning net zero.

As of October 145 countries It had announced or was considering net zero targets, according to Climate Action Tracker; This means that not all Paris signatories have individual commitments to this goal.

If a future Coalition government stays in Paris and dilutes Australia’s existing commitments – including a target of net zero by 2050 – it would be in breach of the agreement which orders countries cannot backtrack on targets.

In an earlier interview on Sky News, Tehan would not prioritize the outcome of this week’s meetings.

The frontrunner said the party is focused on delivering lower energy prices through “energy abundance,” which could require extending the life of aging coal-fired power plants and pumping more gas into the market.

He did not rule out taxpayer subsidies for fossil fuel energy production.

“What I’m saying now is we need to make sure that we’re sweating these coal assets, continuing to sweat these coal assets, and also being able to get more gas into the system at a much faster rate,” he said.

The Queensland LNP government’s new energy roadmap, unveiled last month, proposes keeping state-owned coal plants running for up to a decade longer than previously planned; This means some of them will be open until at least 2046.

Critics, including energy analysts and environmentalists, said the plan would burden Queenslanders with expensive and unreliable energy that would harm the climate.