Nationals MP Keith Pitt sparks climate stoush

Nationals MP Keith Pitt says any future Coalition government should be prepared to pull out of the Paris Agreement so it can lower Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction target.

Nationals MP Keith Pitt. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Nationals MP Keith Pitt says any future Coalition government should be prepared to pull out of the Paris Agreement so it can lower Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction target, prompting a furious rebuke from former Liberal MP Jason Falinski who warned that the proposal would decimate the Liberal Party’s standing in city electorates.

Mr Pitt told The Australian the Coalition should not go to the election vowing to keep Labor’s 43 per cent 2030 target, after Liberal senator Andrew Bragg said he did not think Peter Dutton would propose lowering Australia’s international commitment if there was a change of government at the next poll.

The Paris Agreement states all new targets set by nations should be higher than previous ones.

Mr Pitt, a former cabinet minister, said the Coalition’s decision on climate targets would be driven by rising cost-of-living over the next two years.

“Reality is going to strike very quickly and Labor’s plan is going to increase the cost of everything and the Australian people won’t wear that,” Mr Pitt said.

“If you look at what is happening in Europe, where reality is ­biting right now, we don’t want to see Australia turn into that. We should take whatever action is in the national interest including leaving the Paris Agreement if that is what is necessary.”

Other Coalition MPs including Matt Canavan, Gerard Rennick and Llew O’Brien, also want to leave the Paris Agreement.

Mr Falinski, who lost the Sydney seat of Mackellar to a teal ­independent, said Mr Pitt was responsible for the Liberal Party losing 15 seats at the last election.

“So he would like to keep going, is that what Keith is up to?” Mr Falinski said.

“His behaviour … resulted in the loss of five Liberal seats and stymied our attempts to hold Zali Steggall responsible for her non-delivery.” He said Mr Pitt’s proposal would “confirm people’s view we are the party of the past”.

He said the Coalition should adopt a target that was either in line with or higher than Labor’s 43 per cent commitment ahead of the next election.

With Labor preparing to force more stringent climate goals on the industrial sector, the global aluminium industry says it needs to find $US1 trillion ($1.5 trillion) of investment to hit climate goals laid out in the Paris accord and meet net-zero emissions targets.

Australian producers including Rio Tinto, South32 and Alcoa have signed up to a pact, dubbed Mission Possible, which sets out a decarbonisation blueprint for the aluminium sector which is seen as one of the most difficult to cut emissions given it needs round-the-clock electricity supply.

The availability of zero-emissions power will determine the success of the strategy, the Australian Aluminium Council says.