‘Terminal’: Sussan Ley defends party leadership amid net zero fallout
Sussan Ley denied she was concerned about the threat of leadership disintegration amid the ongoing fallout from the Coalition scrapping its net zero target.
Opposition Leader and National Leader David Littleproud announced energy policies on Sunday following his decision to meet the 2050 net zero target.
Taxpayer-funded subsidies for coal power plants, lifting the nuclear ban and scrapping the Australian Energy Market Operator’s climate targets were some of the measures announced as part of the new joint platform.
The move has raised the question of Ms Ley’s future in the top job, as Liberal moderates see her as capitulating to the conservative bloc in her party and amid publicity efforts by potential leadership rivals Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie.
Sunrise host Nat Barr asked Ms Ley about the possibility of a leadership leak on Monday morning.
“Sharks circling…are you worried? The ultimate in leadership?” Barr asked.
Ms Ley avoided answering the question directly, instead saying the Coalition was focusing on its “priority” new energy plan for Australians and affordable energy.
“This is about taking care of the next generation, who will now have a lower standard of living than their parents,” he said.
“Because when energy is unaffordable, everything becomes unaffordable, we can now see this in the economy.
“So I won’t lose focus on the really important things that I’ll talk about every day.”
Asked if she was worried, Ms Ley simply replied: “No.”
Barr had previously asked the same question to former Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce; Joyce announced last month that he would not run again for his junior Coalition partner in New England because of disagreements over net zero.
“Well, frankly people seem to be positioning themselves,” he said.
“And I wouldn’t be telling you the truth otherwise, right? But I would also say that this is a 1,500-meter race. Be really careful about where you position yourself in the first lap. The finish line is two and a half years away and you need to position yourself there.”
“A lot of things will change between now and election day.”
Mr Joyce added there was “a long way to go” before leadership candidates could realistically challenge the government, including on cost-of-living debates.
“Issues will start to come to the fore about whether more needs to be done… issues about the cost of living and whether we can keep industry in Australia. That debate has only just begun.”
