Newly appointed leader of the Nationals, David Littleproud, has backed the party’s commitment to a net zero target after defeating Barnaby Joyce in a contest for the party’s leadership, following the Coalition’s devastating election loss.
Joyce faced dual challenges for the leadership of the Coalition junior partner, with Littleproud and Darren Chester both contesting the leadership spill. Litteproud triumphed, with New South Wales senator Perin Davey winning the ballot for the deputy leadership.
Addressing media following the spill, Littleproud said that he remained supportive of the Nationals’ commitment to a net zero target for 2050, saying it was a necessary commitment to keep Australia within the “global community”.
“This is not about the National Party lurching left or lurching right. It’s using common sense and being in the sensible centre. That’s where you win elections, not chasing extremities,” Littleproud told reporters.
“The National Party proved that when we signed up to net zero by 2050. If we didn’t sign up to that – capital markets had already factored in up to a three per cent increase in your mortgages, and your commodity prices would have gone down.”
“I couldn’t look my people in the eye and say we can’t be part of a global community.”
Littleproud, however, stopped short of saying the Nationals would support the newly elected Labor government to pass legislation for stronger climate policies.
“We are moving forward on climate. We made that commitment, and the Australian economy is moving forward on that,” Littleproud said.
“We don’t need to legislate to do that. The economy’s doing it themselves.”
Littleproud claimed Australian efforts to meet its emissions reduction targets – notably policies that have largely been introduced by Coalition governments – had resulted in landholders having their “property rights stripped away” without compensation.
Littleproud has long been an advocate within the Nationals’ party room for accepting the science of climate change and for acknowledging the positive economic benefits of reducing emissions and adopting renewable electricity technologies for regional communities.
However, the new Nationals leader will have to contend with the pro-coal climate dissidents within the Nationals, including Matt Canavan, who declared that commitments to net zero targets were “dead” during the election campaign.
The antagonism towards climate action shown by several Nationals MPs was a major contributor to the Coalition’s election loss, with voters in metropolitan electorates ousting several moderate Liberal MPs – in part to keep the likes of Joyce and Canavan out of government.
Former defence minister Peter Dutton was also elected unopposed – as expected – as the new Liberal Party leader on Monday – replacing the defeated former prime minister Scott Morrison – with former environment minister Sussan Ley also elected unopposed as the deputy Liberal leader.
Ley replaces the former treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who lost his seat in parliament at the election, being one of the Liberals beaten by a ‘teal’ independent candidate in Monique Ryan.
In his own press conference, Dutton sought to attack Labor by suggesting the newly elected government would be responsible for higher electricity prices.
“There’ll be an increase under Labor. Let’s be clear, electricity prices will up under Labor,” Dutton said.
But prices are already set to jump, by more than 10 per cent in some regions, as a result of wholesale price surges that have occurred under the Coalition’s watch.
“I take the issue [of climate change] very seriously, I’ve supported our policies in the past, I’ve looked at countries that have made commitments and never met them,” Dutton said.
“We have made commitments, we’ve met them. So, I’m very supportive of serious policy, but I want us to get the balance right.”
“I’m worried at the moment the Labor Party policies, as they’ve got – make energy less reliable and more expensive, and families at the moment can’t afford that.”
Dutton said that he expects to appoint a new shadow minister before the end of the week, refusing to confirm whether the former energy and emissions reduction minister Angus Taylor would be appointed shadow treasurer.
