Climate Chief Criticizes Coalition's Decision to Abandon Net Zero Commitment

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The head of Australia’s Climate Change Authority, Matt Kean, has fiercely criticised the Coalition’s decision to dump net zero by 2050, accusing his former party of ignoring science and “lining up” with global pariah states.

“This is not a policy, it’s just politics,” Kean, a former Liberal NSW treasurer and environment minister, told SBS from the COP 30 climate summit in Brazil.

“Politics doesn’t change physics, and just because the Coalition is walking away from evidence and science doesn’t mean the rest of the world is,” Kean said.

In a pointed critique, a former energy minister has accused the Coalition of catering to mining lobbyists while the rest of the world intensifies efforts to cut emissions. According to her, this approach contrasts sharply with the global community’s commitment to tackling climate change.

“The only people that will be popping champagne corks after the Coalition’s announcement yesterday are the big coal companies who stand to benefit at the cost of Australian consumers,” Kean said.

Opposition leader Sussan Ley announced on Thursday that the Liberal Party would abandon net zero, following in the footsteps of its junior Coalition partner, the Nationals, which made its own announcement earlier this month.

She announced that discussions are scheduled for Sunday between the two parties to forge a unified climate and energy strategy. The aim is to create a coherent plan that addresses the pressing need for sustainable energy solutions.

Kean lashed the Coalition’s plan to subsidise the extension of coal-fired power stations — due to retire at the end of the decade — as “hugely expensive”.

“If the Opposition want to underwrite coal, what they’re actually underwriting is higher electricity bills for Australian consumers and businesses.”

“Renewables are the most cost-effective means to introduce new generation capacity into the grid,” she emphasized, referencing assessments from the Australian Energy Market Operator and the Australian Energy Market Commission.

Expressing her personal commitment to environmental issues, Ley stated on Friday, “Young Australians have made it clear to me that they prioritize climate, and it is a priority for me as well.”

At the heart of Ley’s energy pivot is a pledge that “energy prices will always be more affordable under us” — though she did not nominate an exact dollar amount that bills would drop by, as Labor did before the 2022 election.

The Liberal leader believes she can sell a cost-of-living argument to young Australians — who statistically left her party in droves at the last three elections.

Criticizing the Coalition’s stance, she remarked, “It seems they are aligning themselves with countries like Russia and Iran, and echoing sentiments similar to those of [U.S. President Donald] Trump. This is not what the Australian public expects from their leadership.”

“[Dumping net zero] is about the national interest. It’s about the right thing for our country, and most importantly, it’s about what’s right for gen Z and millennials who, right now, can’t afford to buy a home, can’t pay their power bills, and are looking at a government that is set to deliver them a worse standard of living than their parents.”

Kean, a moderate who grew up in the blue-ribbon northern Sydney electorate of Bradfield — lost by the Liberal Party for the first time in its history to teal independent Nicolette Boele in 2025 — said the Coalition’s energy offering was “ideology trumping facts”.

Looking ahead, she assured that a comprehensive set of policies will be unveiled well before the next election, allowing Australians ample time to review and engage with the proposals.

‘Modest’ underwriting of coal

Opposition energy spokesperson Dan Tehan has repeatedly refused to say whether the Liberals will release modelling to support its climate policy, or how much will be spent to extend the life of existing coal power stations.

“What we have said is that we will have a technology-neutral, affordable energy scheme so that there will be existing generations supported with modest and targeted underwriting, like what is occurring but only occurring for wind and solar under the Labor Party,” he said.

“We will release our suite of policies and that will be done with plenty of time for the Australian people to be able to look at [and] address them [before the next election]”.

Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull — whose party rolled him over energy policy — described the decision as “Groundhog Day”.

“[The Liberals] are guaranteeing that they will marginalise their vote. It’s as though they’re worried about competing with [One Nation leader] Pauline Hanson as opposed to holding [Prime Minister] Anthony Albanese to account,” he said.

Among the key conundrums for the Coalition now is how its stated energy objectives will align with Australia’s obligations under the 2015 Paris Agreement, which does not allow for backsliding on climate targets.

Kean, speaking from COP — a summit Australia hopes to host alongside Pacific Nations next year — said he did not “understand” how the Coalition could feasibly stay in the Paris Agreement yet abandon net zero by 2050.

“I don’t think they understand how they can stay in Paris and get rid of net zero,” Kean said.

“What’s clear to me is that even though the White House has flown the white flag, the rest of the world certainly hasn’t given up.”