“Our party is increasingly worried about the current direction, and the internal conflicts have been dreadful,” Henderson remarked to the press.
Jane Hume, Dave Sharma, Tony Pasin, and Taylor all contested the idea that Ley was losing her grip on party leadership. Taylor firmly stated he had “absolutely no” intention of challenging her position.
“I believe Sussan is firmly rooted as our leader and will continue in her role through the upcoming election,” Taylor expressed confidently.
This latest wave of discord follows Ley’s decision to schedule a meeting for next Wednesday to address the Liberals’ stance on climate policy. The goal is to determine whether to uphold the commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050—a topic that has sharply divided the party’s moderates and conservatives.
Ley has entrusted senior MP Dan Tehan with the task of thoroughly reviewing the party’s climate and energy policies in the wake of the May election.
When questioned about Henderson’s remarks and Ley’s leadership today, Tehan emphasized his attention was on the development of policy.
“Colleagues have been saying a variety of things over the last few months,” he said.
“What I’m focused on is making sure we get the policy right, the energy and emissions reduction policy right because that is what the Australian people want us to do.”
Following the meeting on Wednesday, the Liberal Party is expected to unveil its climate and energy policy by next Sunday.
“(It) will be predicated on two fundamentals,” Ley said.
“That we have a stable, reliable grid to provide affordable energy for households and businesses and that we do play our part internationally in reducing emissions, just as we should.”
