Liberals lurch to the right and further into denial
The Liberal and National Coalition has voted to abandon Australia’s net zero goal and repeal the 2030 emissions target, while claiming it will stay in the Paris Agreement.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley confirmed the move after a four-hour party meeting in Canberra, saying the Coalition would cut targets from the Climate Change Act.
Ley insisted the party would still “reduce emissions year on year,” but only as fast as technology allows — and rejected setting long-term targets.
She argued the Paris deal doesn’t require net zero, calling it a “global agreement to bring down temperatures,” not a binding emissions mandate.
On energy, Ley vowed to dismantle Labor’s climate and energy policies, blaming them for high electricity bills.
Shadow energy minister Dan Tehan said the Coalition would keep the Capacity Investment Scheme but make it “technology agnostic” — allowing support for coal power.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused the opposition of denying climate science and “walking away” from renewables, storage, and reliable energy.
Albanese said the Coalition’s climate wars had stalled investment, with 24 of 28 coal plants closing on its watch and no replacements built.
Independent MPs Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender said the decision makes the Coalition “unelectable” and shows it has abandoned business certainty and public expectations.
The final climate stance will be set after a joint Liberal–National meeting on Sunday, led by Nationals MPs Matt Canavan, Ross Cadell, and Susan McDonald — all strong net zero opponents.