The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, says his party’s support for a policy of net zero emissions by 2050 is up for review, contradicting his deputy and raising doubts about the looming cooperation agreement with the Liberals.
After days of turmoil within the Coalition, Littleproud told Sky News he was relaxed about speculation his leadership could come under challenge from former leader Michael McCormack, denying there was division within the Nationals.
“We’ve got a party room position on this but obviously during this period of parliament, like in the last period, we’ll continue to review some of those policies, including net zero,” Littleproud said on Monday night.
“I think we’ve got to understand that the world is finding it increasingly more difficult to achieve net zero by 2050 and the serious economic impact.”
Littleproud said Australia needed to pursue a sensible energy mix to ensure future prosperity.
But his comments on net zero by 2050 were at odds with comments by the deputy leader, Kevin Hogan, just a day earlier.
Hogan told ABC TV on Sunday morning that the Nationals’ position on net zero climate policies was settled.
“The Nationals support net zero [by] 2050,” he said, stressing the policy had been in place for seven years and “that’s not up for review or being changed”.
Hogan’s comments came as Queensland Liberal National party senator Matt Canavan promised to keep fighting against net zero, calling Australia’s commitments under the Paris climate agreement “crazy”.
“We haven’t had this debate yet. We haven’t adopted a position on net zero since the election as the Nationals party room so a leader cannot take that forward without the authority of the room,” Canavan told Sky.
Amid the confusion, Littleproud and opposition leader Sussan Ley are this week finalising a new coalition agreement and preparing to appoint a joint Liberal-Nationals frontbench.
Moves to abandon net zero plans would be opposed by some Liberal MPs.
Littleproud walked the Nationals away from the Coalition last week, before reversing course after Ley gave in-principle support for four policy demands from the minor party.
They included a policy to lift Australia’s moratorium on nuclear energy, a $20bn regional infrastructure fund, communication services guarantees in the bush and new forced breakup powers for supermarkets and other retailers found to be abusing market share.
The Nationals are expected to have six frontbench positions in the new-look opposition, as well as some outer ministry roles. McCormack and former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce could be overlooked for the next generation of Nationals as part of the new lineup.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on Monday said net zero is “important” but stressed the shift to renewables required confidence from firming capacity, or grid firming, including from fossil fuel projects.
The federal government could approve an expansion of Woodside’s North West Shelf extension project as soon as this week.
