Outer-metropolitan and WA Liberals lead party’s anti-net-zero push
Opposition to net-zero emissions within Liberal ranks has exposed a dramatic split between outer suburban MPs and their sole remaining inner-city colleague.
Opposition in the Liberal partyroom to a commitment to net-zero emissions was strongest among outer-metropolitan and West Australian MPs and those who faced a major challenge from a teal independent at the 2025 election.
And the only remaining lower-house Liberal with an inner-metropolitan seat, Tim Wilson, was one of the strongest supporters of retaining a carbon-neutral target.
Mr Wilson, who narrowly ousted teal independent Zoe Daniel in Goldstein and now holds the smallest margin of any Liberal in the House of Representatives, has been vocal in his backing for a net-zero target but almost every other Liberal looking over their shoulder at a teal threat supported dumping the policy.
Liberal leader Sussan Ley in Farrer and energy spokesman Dan Tehan in Wannon, both rural seats that were targeted by Climate 200-backed candidates, now have carriage of selling the party’s new policy, placing them firmly in the anti-net-zero camp.
Amid criticism that the Liberals’ dumping of net zero equated to a weakening of commitment to climate change, Ms Ley insisted on Friday that she cared about the climate and put the interests of “Gen Z and Millennials” as her top priority.
“Young Australians have told me that they care about climate and I care about climate too,” Ms Ley told Sky News.
“(Dumping net zero) is about the national interest. It’s about the right thing for our country, and most importantly, it’s about what’s right for Gen Z and Millennials who, right now, can’t afford to buy a home, can’t pay their power bills, and are looking at a government that is set to deliver them a worse standard of living than their parents.
“That’s just not fair because when energy is unaffordable, everything is unaffordable.”
Alongside Ms Ley and Mr Tehan are Ben Small, who narrowly warded off a combined Labor-teal challenge in the southwestern WA seat of Forrest, leaving him defending a margin of barely 2 per cent, and Garth Hamilton, whose once-safe Liberal seat is now officially marginal after Climate 200-backed teal candidate Suzie Holt pulled his margin inside 6 per cent.
Liberals in outer-metropolitan lower-house seats were overwhelmingly against net zero, with seven of the eight stating their opposition to a carbon-neutral commitment.
Also, seven of the eight WA Liberals, including future leadership aspirant Andrew Hastie and Mr Small, backed the decision to axe net zero, with only Melissa Price in the vast rural seat of Durack supporting a net-zero target.
At least four of the nine Victorian Liberals backed net zero, while both of the southern Gold Coast MPs – Angie Bell and Leon Rebello – supported a carbon-neutral target.
Support for net zero was also above average among the cohort of Liberal senators who still have 5½ years of their terms to run and will not face the voters at the next election due in 2028, with five of the 11 backing a target.
The position on net zero of three Liberals – Zoe McKenzie in the rural Victorian seat of Flinders, Scott Buchholz in the rural Queensland seat of Wright and South Australian senator Kerrynne Liddle – remains unclear.
Two other MPs’ positions are unclear amid mixed messages. Simon Kennedy, who replaced Scott Morrison as the member for the southern Sydney seat of Cook, is understood to have told some he opposed net zero and others that he was unhappy about the party dumping the policy. And Tom Venning, the newly elected MP for the rural SA seat of Grey has declared he is in favour of net zero but conservative sources say he is opposed.
Mr Venning told local Liberal supporters he was pleased to “see that the party has announced a shift away from Labor’s net-zero approach, and towards a pro-reality stance for Australia”.
“I’ve long stated that Labor’s net zero plan is unworkable,” Mr Venning told Liberal supporters. “The emissions targets that are driving up costs for farmers, industry and households are hurting the people of Grey.”
Ms Ley made a visit on Friday to FJP Manufacturing in Mr Kennedy’s electorate to begin her roadshow selling the new climate policy.
“Our policies for affordable energy are predicated first and foremost on more supply, because the laws of economics say that if you inject supply, you bring prices down,” Ms Ley said. “What unfortunately we don’t have is a supply of gas as part of our energy mix.
“Now the national energy objectives are working backwards from a long-term target that this government cannot reach, and that is what is pushing up electricity prices.
“And I will not look Australians in the face and tell them the lies that they are hearing from this government. I will be honest with them.”
Climate 200-backed teal independents have made strong inroads into once-Liberal heartland, taking over Wentworth, Warringah, Mackellar and the now-abolished North Sydney in the NSW capital, Kooyong in Melbourne and Curtin in Perth.
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