Moderates blame climate policy for Wentworth by-elecion debacle

Moderate Liberal MPs have urged Scott Morrison to take action on climate change after the mammoth swing in the by-election.

Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman says the government needs to do more to show it is serious about combating climate change. Picture: Sean Davey.

Moderate Liberal MPs have urged Scott Morrison to take action on climate change and embrace the “broad church” of its voters after the mammoth swing in the Wentworth by-election.

Trent Zimmerman, Jason Falinski and Tim Wilson — who represent blue-ribbon electorates that are affluent and socially progressive — say the government needs to do more to show it is serious about combating climate change and working to meet the Paris targets.

Mr Falinski, the member for Mackellar, also labelled the on-the-ground Wentworth campaign “disorganised” and urged the NSW Liberal Party to improve its tactics at the next election.

“And it wasn’t for lack of resources, Mr Falinski told The Australian. “Normally the excuse is that we didn’t have the resources; that simply was not the case (in Wentworth).”

Mr Zimmerman, a former NSW party president, said the Wentworth result was a protest against the rolling of Malcolm Turnbull, declaring “the Liberal base in Wentworth abandoned us”.

“I think what Wentworth has reminded us of is that the Liberal Party has more than one base ­because we are a coalition of liberals and conservatives,” Mr Zimmerman said.

The North Sydney MP said the biggest policy problem for the government in the Wentworth campaign was a perception about its attitude towards climate change.

“Following the collapse of the national energy guarantee, the government will have to do more to outline how we will meet our Paris targets,” Mr Zimmerman said. “We are on track in relation to the energy sector but there is a strong case for us looking at the role of the Emissions Reduction Fund and other measures to reduce emissions from other sectors.

“I think there is a lot more work to be done in the transport sector.”

Mr Wilson, who represents the Melbourne electorate of Goldstein, urged party figures to drop the “false conservative versus moderate proxy contest”.

“There’s clearly a strong protest vote against removing Malcolm, but I know from my own voters there is a justified expectation we take reducing emissions seriously and develop a credible policy that helps drive investment to grow the economy, reduces prices and cuts emissions. And it is a view I share,” Mr Wilson said.

Reid MP Craig Laundy, a key Turnbull ally, said “progressive Liberals” should not be alienated as the party increasingly tried to appeal to conservatives.

“When you only focus on one side of the base you can alienate the other side,” he said.

He said Liberal voters in his marginal electorate in Sydney’s inner west cared about tackling climate change.

“The minute you have a (Liberal) member or a lifelong voter that believes in the science of climate change, they are deemed not to be a part of our base,” Mr Laundy said. “I say that is bonkers. You are going to be in opposition for a long time if those people won’t vote for you.”

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg yesterday said the government would not change its energy policy because of a loss in Wentworth.

Conservative NSW MPs Craig Kelly and Alex Hawke said the government should put a higher priority on reducing the price of electricity than lowering carbon emissions.

One senior campaigner said the leak of the Ruddock review into religious freedoms was a major factor in the probable loss by Liberal candidate Dave Sharma.