Qld Nationals candidate vows to oppose PM’s net zero plan if elected

Queensland Nationals federal candidate Colin Boyce is one of several politicians the Prime Minister will need to convince about the merits of the federal government’s plan to achieve net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050.

Mr Boyce, currently an LNP politician in the Queensland Parliament, has vowed to campaign against the net zero policy, despite the party agreeing to support it.

Callide MP Colin Boyce will openly campaign against the Coalition’s net zero target.Credit: Lydia Lynch

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday launched his government’s net zero plan, arguing Australia was on track to achieve an emissions cut of up to 35 per cent by 2030, but that the policy would not put industries, regions or jobs at risk.

Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce was not present at Mr Morrison’s press conference, but Nationals MPs backed the goal at a tense meeting on Sunday, despite a core group objecting.

However, the member for Callide, Mr Boyce – a boilermaker and farmer – said central Queensland was reliant on “heavily carbon intensive” industries such as coal mines, gas, aluminium and agriculture, and he questioned what net zero would mean for jobs.

“What does that mean for the people that live and have jobs and earn their living by being associated to those industries?” he said. “What does zero net carbon emissions mean for economics?

“Nobody has mapped that out, nobody has explained it adequately.

“I think to sign up to something that has got no explanation to it is economically irresponsible.”

Mr Boyce would not say whether he thought the Nationals had turned their back on Queensland’s resources industry, or whether he would cross the floor on any future legislation if elected.

“Look, democracy has prevailed in the Nationals party room, they obviously had a great deal of discussion about it, and they’ve come to a decision. I just personally don’t agree with that,” he said.

In August 2020, Mr Boyce crossed the floor of the Queensland Parliament to vote against mining rehabilitation laws that he believed were “absolutely toxic”.

The LNP backbencher, who will vie for the central Queensland division of Flynn at the upcoming federal election, was endorsed in mid-2021 to replace retiring MP Ken O’Dowd.

Mr O’Dowd retained Flynn, which covers the mining and beef areas of Gladstone, Rockhampton and Emerald, at the 2019 election with a more than 7 per cent swing in his favour.

On election night in May 2019, Mr Morrison famously declared “How good’s Queensland?” as the Sunshine State helped return the Coalition to government amid a Labor bloodbath in the state.

Seats in central Queensland closest to the Galilee Basin and the then-proposed Adani coal mine swung towards the Coalition on a two party preferred basis.

Liberal Senator Arthur Sinodinos claimed former Greens politician Bob Brown’s anti-Adani convoy, which wound through central Queensland during the campaign, annoyed Queenslanders.

However, the seat was tightly held on a margin of just 1 per cent before the last federal election.

Mr Boyce would not be drawn on whether Queensland could deliver a swing in the reverse direction as a result of the Coalition’s decision to back the net zero target.

“It remains to be seen how we advance toward the next federal election, which may be as late as May next year,” he said. “Obviously people will have to digest what has happened and its ramifications.”

Queensland Senator Matt Canavan has also vowed to campaign against the policy, previously taking to Twitter to say he was “deadset against net zero emissions”.