WA state election: Zak Kirkup sticks to his guns on energy

The WA government has savaged the plan as one that will cost jobs, push up power prices and increase the risk of blackouts.

WA Liberal Party leader Zak Kirkup. Picture: Colin Murty

Western Australian Liberal leader Zak Kirkup says he intends to maintain his energy policy beyond the upcoming election, despite its deep-seated unpopularity with many party colleagues.

The energy plan, which involves shutting down the two state-owned coal-fired power plants by 2025 and moving the state government to net-zero emissions by 2030, was announced with fanfare earlier in the campaign but has been rarely mentioned since after it triggered a backlash from both state and federal Liberal MPs.

The WA government has savaged the plan as one that would cost jobs, push up power prices and increase the risk of blackouts.

Mark McGowan’s Labor enjoys an unprecedented lead over the Liberal Party in polling, and Mr Kirkup has conceded that he won’t win the March 13 election.

Asked on Thursday whether he expected the energy policy to remain in place for the longer term, Mr Kirkup said he would continue to advocate for the plan if he survived the election.

“The new energy jobs plan is something I’m very passionate about — it’s important for the future of our state and … if I’m lucky enough to be re-elected in the district of Dawesville, and I have the confidence of the partyroom, I will take that policy back to the partyroom for them to review,” he said.

Liberal candidate Michelle Boylan, who is standing for the seat of Murray-Wellington near the state’s coal-fired power plants, has spoken out publicly against the policy while federal MP Andrew Hastie labelled it a “lemon”.