Barnaby Joyce responds to National Party brawl over net zero

Barnaby Joyce has responded to an ugly brawl inside the National Party after several MPs told a colleague to “pull your head in”.

Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has attempted to downplay the renewed rift in the Coalition over climate change as pro-coal MPs break ranks.

As inner-city Liberals face off against pro-climate independents, Nationals backbencher Matt Canavan and his allies have renewed the fracas over net zero with only 3½ weeks to go before the federal election.

Senator Canavan on Wednesday vowed to vote against any potential future legislation on a net-zero pledge after declaring the Coalition’s agreement to meet its 2050 target was dead.

The debate was stirred up earlier on Tuesday when the candidate for the Queensland seat of Flynn, Colin Boyce, claimed there was “wiggle room” in the net-zero plan.

“Morrison’s statement that he has made is not binding. There will be no legislation attached to it,” Mr Boyce told the ABC.

The Deputy Prime Minister initially said he understood Mr Boyce’s position.

Barnaby Joyce claims his party believes in ‘free speech’. Picture: Peter Lorimer.

“We’ve said we’ve set a target, we’re going to try and meet … but I think where Colin’s coming from, it’s completely understandable,” Mr Joyce said.

“Coal remains one of our nation’s strongest exports.”

Mr Joyce changed his tune on Wednesday, shutting down Senator Canavan’s claim and hosing down suggestions of disunity within the Nationals.

“We are a party that believes in free speech. And I imagine Senator Canavan will speak on behalf as for how he sees things in central Queensland,” he told reporters in Rockhampton.

“But I’m a believer in the Nationals. And my view is that 2050, we made an agreement, we’re going to honour that agreement, and we’re going to give our very best endeavours to reach that target.”

Senator Canavan, speaking at the same press conference, echoed a similar sentiment.

“The great thing about the National Party is we, we tell everybody in the public what we say in private and we have robust conversations in the bush,” he said.

With Australia under intense pressure to make a carbon commitment in 2021, the Nationals agreed to back the net-zero target, despite emphatic pushback from some party members.

Scott Morrison then released Australia’s plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 before he flew to Glasgow for a United Nations summit – but the target has not been legislated.

The Prime Minister on Wednesday denied the Coalition was at odds on climate, saying nobody should be surprised by the news Senator Canavan did not support net zero.

Senator Matt Canavan has been told to ‘pull your head in’ by Michael McCormack. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Mr Morrison said Senator Canavan’s views were not the position of the government and denied the emissions reduction target could cause a rift between the cities and the regions.

Asked if Australians could trust him to follow through on net zero, Mr Morrison said he took the commitment “very seriously” but refused to say whether he would legislate the target.

“This has been an issue that has been very difficult for our side of politics,” he said.

“I was the first leader of our party to actually get our Coalition together on the same page on this issue. And that was no simple challenge.”

Barnaby Joyce reluctantly led the Nationals to accepting the net zero target last year. Picture: Lee Robinson.

Other Nationals came out to shut down Senator Canavan’s claim, with Deputy Leader David Littleproud declaring “the world has moved past” him on climate policy.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Littleproud said the net-zero target had been “sorted before Christmas” despite fierce opposition from Senator Canavan at the time.

“His views were contrary to that. That’s nothing new. And while he may want to prosecute it, the world’s moved past Matt Canavan,” Mr Littleproud said.

Mr Littleproud said he had spoken to Senator Canavan on Wednesday morning and it was the “culture of the Nationals Party” that people could voice differing opinions.

Michael McCormack says country people commit to the deals they make. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Former Nationals leader Michael McCormack also rejected Senator Canavan’s claim, telling him to “pull your head in”.

Nationals Chief Whip Michelle Landry also told Senator Canavan to pull his head in.

Mr McCormack said his party had “shaken hands” and agreed to the mid-century carbon neutrality target.

“When country people make a deal, a deal is a deal is a deal,” he told the ABC.

The Nationals – led by Barnaby Joyce – agreed to the net-zero target last October in exchange for increased government investment into regional Australia, including a record $21bn handed down in the recent federal budget.

Mr McCormack noted Mr Joyce, who replaced him as deputy prime minister in June 2021, didn’t get the numbers he needed to scupper the pledge.

Senator Canavan on Tuesday claimed the net-zero target “all over bar the shouting” not long after Mr Morrison insisted it was still “absolutely” Coalition policy.