Western Australian MP Andrew Hastie has called for the Liberal Party to dump its commitment to net zero by 2050, claiming it was a “straitjacket” on the party’s future.
The net zero commitment has continued to cause division inside the Liberal and National parties, which are still struggling to come to terms with the Coalition’s worst ever defeat at this month’s federal election.
Speaking to Four Corners about the defeat and the path forward for the party, Mr Hastie said net zero was one policy that needed to be re-evaluated.
“I think the question of net zero, that’s a straitjacket that I’m already getting out of,” he told the ABC.
“The real question is should Australian families and businesses be paying more for their electricity?
“And should we allow this sort of hypocrisy at the heart of our economy to continue whereby we sell coal and gas to India and China, and we deny it to our own people?
“That’s the question that I think we need to answer.”
Mr Hastie is not alone in wanting to the Coalition to dump its net zero policy, with Nationals Senator Matt Canavan telling Sky News Australia on Tuesday that the party “got to get off this ridiculous pursuit of net zero emissions by 2050”.
“Almost every other country is walking away from it. Why are we still costing Australians by pursuing an arbitrary and abstract goal of net zero emissions by 2050?” Senator Canavan said.
The Nationals Senator told Sky News he would not serve on any Coalition frontbench while the policy exists.
“I wish my colleagues all the best, but while we remain committed to this crazy net zero emissions column, I’m not going to serve,” he said.
“If we dump this ridiculous goal, I’ll do what I can to serve the team and the country in what are the any role people think I’m capable of.”
In contrast to Mr Hastie and Senator Canavan’s stance, multiple Liberals have rejected the idea of dumping the policy, and the Nationals’ leadership did not make it one of their policy demands during Coalition negotiations.
Last week, Victorian Liberal Senator Jane Hume said dumping net zero would not be consistent with the message the public had sent the party.
“The electorate has sent us a very clear message what it is that they want in their government… abandoning net zero I don’t necessarily think is consistent with that,” Senator Hume said.
NSW Senator Maria Kovacic also argued against dumping the policy during last night’s Four Corners episode.
“Most young Australians believe that climate change is real and we have to deliver energy policies that ensure that we reach our net zero targets and that we deliver stable power … that is as cheap as possible” she said.
Mr Hastie is widely considered a future leader of the Liberal Party and has admitted he has the “desire to lead”.
However the former special forces soldier decided against running earlier this month, telling Sky News Australia it was not the right time for him to take on the job.
“I spoke to my wife Ruth, and it was very clear that I wasn’t in a position to lead and be a good dad and husband at the same time,” Mr Hastie said.
“I’ve got a nine year old, a seven year old, and a three year old… you only get one shot at it, and I decided that I owe that to my family first and foremost.”
