Peter Dutton dismisses Jason Falinski’s call to adopt a 2035 emissions reduction target

The Opposition Leader has hit back at the call by senior Liberal Jason Falinski to take a 2035 emissions reduction target to the election.

Peter Dutton said the Coalition’s climate and energy policy would be decided by the partyroom and himself. Picture: Richard Dobson

Peter Dutton has hit back at senior Liberal Jason Falinski for calling on the Coalition to take a 2035 emissions reduction target to the federal election, declaring he as leader will decide what targets the opposition adopts and opposes.

Nationals and Liberal MPs have this week warned the Opposition Leader against embracing a 2035 target before the election, which is due to be held by May 2025, saying it would worsen the cost-of-living crisis for regional and vulnerable Australians.

Mr Falinski, the NSW Liberal Party president and former member for Mackellar who lost his seat to teal MP Sophie Scamps in 2022, told The Australian the Coalition “of course” should have a 2035 target.

He said the debate should be about how to reach the target rather than whether to have one or not.

But Mr Dutton said the Coalition’s climate and energy policy would be decided by the partyroom and himself.

“Jason’s not in that partyroom, and it’s the elected members who will make the decision and we’ll announce the policy in due course, as we did with the voice. I know Jason had a different view in relation (to) the voice, but we take a decision as a partyroom, and as the leader I’ll make the decision as to what targets we adopt and those that we oppose,” he told 2GB radio.

“In the end, we are looking very clearly at the moment about whether any target that (Climate and Energy Minister) Chris Bowen’s promising is ever achievable, and by sending businesses offshore, by saying to manufacturers – which is what Labor’s doing at the moment – ‘turn your power off in the afternoons so that when people get home from work, we don’t have blackouts’ it’s driving our economy over the cliff.”

Mr Dutton also dismissed Mr Bowen’s attack demanding the Opposition Leader “stop the nonsense” and explain the Coalition’s position on a 2035 target.

Mr Bowen said Mr Dutton would be a worse prime minister for the climate than Scott Morrison or Tony Abbott, to which the Liberal leader responded: “That is a perfect endorsement from Chris Bowen because everything that Chris Bowen predicts, the complete opposite happens.”

The Albanese government is required under the Paris Agreement to finalise a 2035 target by February 2025, but opposition MPs said it would be politically foolish for the Coalition to match or adopt a lower figure.