Climate agreement: Nationals won’t be rushed on net zero: Barnaby Joyce

Barnaby Joyce says the junior Coalition partner has not yet been able to decide its position on climate policy and won’t neglect regional Australia.

The National Party is insisting it will not be rushed into a decision on climate policy, with Barnaby Joyce saying the party has not yet been able to decide its position.

The Deputy Prime Minister on Monday said his party would not race toward a decision.

“This is not something we can allow to happen in a great rush,” he said.

Mr Joyce accused the Labor Party of neglecting regional Australia, saying that his party would not forget them.

“We have to allow people to represent regional Australia to have their say,” he said.

With the junior Coalition partner locked into party room negotiations over a net-zero emissions target, Resources Minister Keith Pitt agreed there would be no rush.

Mr Pitt stressed it should be “no surprise” the Nationals were “standing up for regional Australia”.

“And as a party of regional Australia, we all take time to consider the details, and my colleagues will take time to consider the potential impact on the people they represent. And that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone,” Mr Pitt told Sky News on Monday morning.

Earlier on Monday, Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon has called on Scott Morrison to sign up to net-zero without the Nationals, saying a motion would easily pass with the support of Labor.

With the junior Coalition partner trying to wrangle a deal on net-zero ahead of the looming COP26 UN climate summit, Mr Fitzgibbon said the Prime Minister could simply bypass the Nationals by putting a motion before the House of Representatives.

“This highlights the fact we have a Westminster system and we have a government, a minority government, which relies upon the National party to remain in government,” Mr Fitzgibbon told Seven’s Sunrise on Monday morning.

“What Scott Morrison needs to do now ahead of Glasgow, is consider putting a motion into the people’s house … committing to net-zero emissions. A motion which would of course pass easily with the support of the Labor Party.”

Opposition spokesman for energy and climate change Chris Bowen said the Nationals are betraying regional Australia.

After eight years of Coalition governance and with Scott Morrison heading to Glasgow for the UN climate summit within weeks, Mr Bowen said it was absurd the government still hadn’t reached a position on net-zero by 2050, let alone on more stringent midterm targets.

“The National Party is betraying rural and regional Australia, and every Australian regardless of where we live,” Mr Bowen told ABC’s Radio National on Monday morning.

“I’m sick of this toxic identity politics that the government is addicted to dividing Australians between urban and regional Australians but every Australian is entitled to be just frustrated.”

The inevitable transition to a net-zero energy future, Mr Bowen said, was an opportunity to provide the region with jobs, while uptake of renewable energy would lead to downward pressure on energy prices.

“This is what this government just doesn’t get, and they have been engaged in eight years of denial and delay and Australians had every right to be frustrated this morning, and white hot in anger,” he said.

Nationals stalling on road to net zero emissions

The Nationals have withheld support for a net-zero plan after a marathon four-hour party room meeting, making a better deal for the regions a condition of any agreement with the Liberals for a 2050 target ahead of the Glasgow climate change summit.

Barnaby Joyce told The Australian after the meeting that Nationals MPs were “not at this stage” convinced that Scott Morrison’s plan for a net zero by 2050 emissions target could be achieved without negatively affecting the regions. The Deputy Prime Minister said the sticking point was a “lack of information” about the economic impact of the plan on the regions and jobs, after the party room of 21 MPs was briefed by Energy Minister Angus Taylor.

Mr Joyce could not say when the issue would be resolved, although Nationals will convene again on Monday for their regular party room meeting.

“Discussions are ongoing,” Mr Joyce said. “It is such a complex issue and there are still questions the Nationals need to delve further into.”

Scott Morrison revealed to The Weekend Australian that a substantial economic package for the regions was on the table as part of the negotiations. The Australian understands talks on the scope of the package are ongoing, with one government source suggesting it could be over $20bn.

Some Nationals MPs in the meeting claimed the plan presented by Mr Taylor did not address the concerns of the junior Coalition party. “There was probably more concern after the presentation than before,” one Nationals MP said.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Joyce also poured cold water on the Nationals supporting higher emission-reduction targets by 2030, as called for by Liberal MPs, business, Labor and global leaders. “I would say, no, I don’t think that is going to happen,” Mr Joyce said on the chances of an increase to the 2030 target to reduce carbon emissions by 26-28 per cent on 2005 levels.

Liberal MPs will be briefed on the net-zero plan on Monday morning, with members of the moderate faction threatening to revolt if the Nationals succeed in vetoing a firm 2050 target.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, the leading Liberal moderate in parliament, said both a plan and a target were important.

“The discussions we’re having internally are about making sure that we have detailed plans as to how we seize the opportunities that exist in relation to changes in global energy markets,” he told Sky News.

Senator Birmingham denied the Nationals were dictating the government’s climate change policy. However, conservative Liberal senator Alex Antic said net zero by 2050 was an “absolute folly”.

“It is nothing more than a catch cry and a slogan for the ruling class and political elites. Here in Australia we can’t lose track of the fact that we make up nothing but 1 per cent of the world’s emissions,” Senator Antic told Sky News. “There is no way to achieve net zero without costing us jobs, without winding back our economy. It’s very, very difficult. So from a personal point of view, I certainly don’t have any appetite for net zero.”

Liberal MP Jason Falinski said it was “silly” for the Nationals to oppose lifting the 2030 target given the projections will have Australia on track to exceed it.

“It gives the left a free kick,” Mr Falinski said. “They can say ‘we are going to increase our target from 28 per cent to 35 per cent’ and it costs them nothing to do that. We would be silly not to update the target if the projections already show that we are going to exceed.”

After the party room meeting, deputy Nationals leader David Littleproud said there were “still some more questions that need to be answered”.

“We are going to take our time to get it right,” Mr Littleproud told Sky News. “(To) make a decision within four hours I don’t think would be responsible. Actually, it would be reckless. We are going to come back and think about this and continue to probe the issue. Because this will probably be one of the most significant issues any of us will have to make while we are here.

“We want to make sure we get this right. We are not going to be rushed into it. We are going to make sure we take our time and work through it. And make sure we understand it, particularly the impacts on regional and rural Australia.”

Nationals who are opposed to net zero are claiming there is growing momentum against adopting a firm target within the party room, although a majority of MPs are open to a deal.

But former Nationals leader Michael McCormack, who has been pushing for the party to strike a deal on net zero, said it was a “good meeting”.

“I was actually very impressed with the way that the meeting went,” he said. “We are not operating on a media timeline or a Liberal Party timeline. We will make a decision when it is good and right for the National Party.”

The Australian understands Nationals MPs who are open to a deal are pushing for a guarantee that electricity prices will not increase on the path to net zero.

Nationals are also pushing for larger financial incentives for farmers that sequester carbon and guarantees that resources projects will be able to go ahead if they are commercially viable.

Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie said the party room was in “no hurry to rush to a decision on this issue because the impacts are so far reaching”.

“This has been the first time that National MPs have had the chance to seriously discuss the Liberal Party’s plan,” she said.

“This is about the next 30 years’ impact in our electorates … not just the next three weeks.”

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said a firm 2050 target was needed to “galvanise action”.

Anthony Albanese said a net zero by 2050 commitment would be meaningless unless accompanied by an increase to the 2030 target. “We have to remember that John Howard, after 12 years of government, decided that he did want to ratify the Kyoto Protocol after all, and he did want an emissions trading scheme,” the Opposition Leader said.

“Then as soon as the election was over, they went back into wrecking mode. And what we could see from this government is trying to slide through into a fourth term. People won’t take them seriously. If you want serious action on climate change, we have to change the government.”

Ahead of the meeting, the division within the Nationals was evident. Nationals senator Matt Canavan said the government did not have a plan but a “prayer that hydrogen comes along and saves all these jobs”.

“The Prime Minister might believe in miracles but I don’t think we should gamble people’s jobs on a wing and a prayer,” Senator Canavan.

Mr Joyce said he would not agree to any plan that would lead to a replication of the energy crisis being experienced in Europe.

“When people talk about what will happen in the future, they refer to modelling and say ‘this is what we believe will be the truth’,” Mr Joyce said.

“I have to say right now there are a lot of people in England who haven’t been told what would be the truth and now they are obviously living with the consequences.

“The modelling was wrong and they now have an energy crisis and chaos.

“We are very mindful of that because we have to be prudent. Whatever they did over there we have to make sure we don’t do here.”