Liberals formally abandon emissions target but will allow moderate MPs to call net zero a ‘welcome outcome’ | Australia news
The Liberal party will abandon its net-zero emissions target, joining the National Party in ending its commitment to the Coalition’s climate target.
The shadow ministry has ruled that a future Coalition government will not withdraw from the Paris Agreement, a red line for moderate Liberals such as Andrew Bragg and Maria Kovacic.
MPs will be free to argue that reaching net zero will be a “welcome outcome” in the future, two sources confirmed to Guardian Australia, in an olive branch to moderates who want the target retained.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley is expected to formally announce her decision on Thursday afternoon after the Liberal shadow minister meets to finally decide on a position after months of bitter fighting.
The frontbench meeting followed an almost five-hour meeting in the Liberal party hall on Wednesday, where a majority of MPs backed abandoning the Scott Morrison-era net zero target by 2050.
This was despite the party’s federal director, Andrew Hirst, telling MPs that voters see net zero as tantamount to tackling climate change.
The result will placate the Tories and temporarily remove the threat of a leadership challenge from Angus Taylor or Andrew Hastie, who want the 2050 target to be met.
Three Liberals and three Nationals will now be tasked with determining a common Coalition position to be put into the joint party room on Sunday.
Speaking before Ley’s announcement, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Coalition had moved away from its net-zero emissions target because it “fundamentally” did not believe in the science of climate change.
“There is no doubt that the coalition approach will harm Australians. It will lead to less investment, less reliability, less employment, less economic growth. It will also damage our relations in the region, including security-related relations,” Albanese said.
Albanese said Taylor and Hastie walking side by side to Wednesday’s party hall meeting showed the Liberals were a “divided rabble” and a “clown show”.
Earlier on Thursday, Liberal senator and net zero supporter Andrew McLachlan warned it would be “very difficult” to win back city voters if the climate target is abandoned.
Asked to respond to suggestions from some colleagues that abandoning the target might win votes, McLachlan said: “You’re wrong.”
“If you’re going to argue that we’re going to give up on net zero, you’re going to be very isolated in society and business. I think every level of society has moved on,” he told the ABC’s RN Breakfast.
More details to come
