A prominent member of the Liberal Party has cautioned that steering Australia away from international climate commitments could align the nation with ‘undesirable’ countries, as the party considers endorsing energy generation from fossil fuels.
The Coalition is experiencing increased internal conflict over the Liberals’ stance on achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. The party is contemplating following the Nationals, their junior coalition partner, in potentially abandoning this target.
Decisions regarding the Liberal Party’s official position on climate goals are expected to emerge after meetings in Canberra scheduled for mid-week.
Andrew Bragg, a Liberal frontbencher known for his moderate views, has suggested he might resign from the shadow cabinet if the party opts to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and fails to uphold a defined emissions reduction strategy.
However, Bragg remains optimistic that such drastic action is improbable.
In an appearance on ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday, he remarked, “If we left Paris, we’d find ourselves alongside Azerbaijan, Iran, Syria, and a few other questionable nations.”
‘Australia has never been with those people before.
‘Australia needs to be in Paris, in my opinion, and then we need to try to find a way to do net-zero better than Labor. That is better for jobs, better for industry, and better for decarbonisation.’
Liberal frontbencher Andrew Bragg has indicated that he could quit the shadow cabinet if the party scrapped Australia’s commitment to the Paris Agreement
Pressure is mounting on Opposition Leader Sussan Ley (pictured) to remain in charge
Senator Bragg added the Liberals were ‘not fringe dwellers’ and most Australians want the nation to play a fair role in reducing emissions, an objective seen as key for the party to reverse its electoral decimation in urban seats.
Under the Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, members must increase their emissions targets every five years and cannot water down their goals.
Asked if Opposition Leader Sussan Ley could survive dropping support for net zero, Senator Bragg said you couldn’t have a ‘fatwa’ on two words.
‘Australia cannot set out its own international standard,’ he said.
‘What Australia can do is work out its own plan for how it will get to net zero over the medium to long term.’
Opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan has flagged subsidies could be offered to keep current coal-fired power plants operating for longer under the coalition’s long-awaited climate and energy plan.
‘We need to make sure that we’re sweating those coal assets … and also that we can get more gas into the system much more quickly,’ he told Sky News.
When asked if the opposition would back financial support for coal plants, Mr Tehan said those discussions would take place and it was ‘absolutely crucial’ to work with the states to ensure the fossil fuel would stay in the system to bring power prices down.
Senator Bragg threatened to quit theLiberals if the party abandoned the Paris Agreement but expressed confidence that such a move was unlikely
Sussan Ley has the backing of Opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan (pictured)
The NSW Labor government in 2024 moved to extend the life of Australia’s largest coal-fired power station, Eraring, while the Queensland Liberal National government wants to continue running coal plants until 2046.
Mr Tehan also foreshadowed the Liberals would continue their pre-election policy of supporting the development of nuclear power plants.
‘Absolutely we want to see a nuclear policy, and we’ve already committed, through the coalition agreement, to lifting the ban, and that will be very much part of the discussions we have,’ he said.
Removing a federal ban on nuclear power in Australia, introduced under the Howard coalition government in the late 1990s, was a condition to mending the split between the Nationals and Liberals following the disastrous May election.
Pressure has been mounting on Ley over the opposition’s climate policies, which have divided moderate and conservative members of her party, while the coalition has been left reeling by a series of dire polls.
Mr Tehan backed Ley when asked if she was up to the job.
‘The majority in the party room said … she was the person that should lead us to the next election,’ he said.
‘Let’s make sure that after the worst election defeat that we have suffered since the Second World War, that we start to get a policy platform that we can enunciate and take to the Australian people.’
