Albanese to visit Fitzgibbon’s electorate as climate tensions simmer

The Opposition leader’s planned visit to disaffected frontbencher’s electorate will likely further inflame tensions within Labor.

Labor’s Joel Fitzgibbon quit the front bench over the party’s climate change position. NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese is planning a visit on Tuesday to the Tomago aluminium smelter in the electorate of disaffected former Labor frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon.

Mr Fitzgibbon resigned from the shadow cabinet last week, citing his party’s approach to climate change policy and following a fiery party room meeting. The decision by Labor’s leader to visit the coal mining region, reported by Sky News, will likely further inflame tensions within the party.

Mr Albanese has shown no sign he will tone down his party’s policy platform calling for more aggressive action to reduce carbon emissions, continuing to argue the country needs to invest more heavily in renewable energy to drive the jobs of the future.

Meanwhile, Mr Fitzgibbon has called for shadow climate and energy minister Mark Butler to be dumped and replaced with a “new advocate the community and industry can trust”.

The Hunter MP stood aside as Labor’s resources and agriculture spokesman on Tuesday, after a protracted internal debate over climate policy.

Opposition Anthony Albanese and Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy Mark Butler during Question Time. Picture: Getty

Mr Fitzgibbon argued the party had lost touch with its blue collar-voter base, and would repeat its shock 2019 election loss unless it shifted to the centre on energy policy.

“I do not want to show any level of disrespect for Mark, but he has been in that portfolio for seven years. We’ve lost two elections, we’ve had two climate and energy polices that have not been embraced by the Australian people. In fact, they’ve been rejected,” he told Sky News.

“We need an advocate now that the community and industry can trust. Mark can go to another portfolio. He’s a very smart guy and there are plenty of things he can do.

“But we need a new advocate bringing a fresh face and a fresh approach. Someone who can reach out to the community and industry and say, ‘There’s a new person in town.’”

Mr Butler has rejected the critique, saying “Australians are ambitious for strong climate action...(and) want to embrace the opportunity of Australia becoming a renewable energy superpower. Anthony Albanese is committed to climate action and the jobs it will create, and so am I as Labor’s Shadow Climate Change and Energy Minister”.

With Finn McHugh