Coalition climate war on the cards as Senators urges Liberals to not be afraid of the C-word

Liberal Senator Maria Kovacic is not afraid to talk about climate change. Here’s why.

The Liberal Party’s most outspoken nuclear power critic has backed the Coalition’s decision to call for a lift in the national nuclear ban.

But despite Liberals agreeing to back the Nationals’ nuclear demand, conflict over climate change between the Coalition partners is not over yet, with NSW Senator Maria Kovacic saying the party must acknowledge climate change is real.

“It’s not a bad thing to say you believe in climate change,” Ms Kovacic said.

“We need to acknowledge that we believe that it exists and if you don’t believe it exists, then articulate what your concerns are … This shouldn’t be like a culture war or a debate.”

Ms Kovacic’s comments come as Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce and Senator Matt Canavan declared their intentions to thwart the Coalition’s commitment to net zero.

Maria Kovacic called for the Coalition’s 2025 nuclear policy to be abadoned.. Picture: Martin Ollman

Ms Kovacic had led internal Liberal calls to abandon the party’s 2025 election policy to build seven government-funded nuclear reactors.

Ms Kovacic was absent from the last party room meeting where Liberal MPs agreed to meet National Party demands to lift a moratorium on nuclear power in order to reunite the fractured Coalition.

Speaking for the first time since that decision, Ms Kovacic told the Saturday Telegraph that a nuclear policy focused on allowing the private sector to take the lead was one that aligned with the values of Robert Menzies.

“I have no issue whatsoever with lifting the moratorium as it allows commercial markets to make the decision,” she said.

Matt Canavan at a press conference. Picture: Dan Peled

Barnaby Joyce during Question Time. Picture: Martin Ollman

“But my issue with our policy was the idea that we remove free markets, and nationalise a major party of the energy industry.

“That policy was rejected by Australians for a number of reasons and that reinforces the need to rework future policy.”

During the Coalition’s disastrous election campaign, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese seized on Peter Dutton’s refusal to clearly state if he believed the impacts of global heating were worsening.

Mr Dutton had said he would leave it to scientists to decide if the temperature was rising because of climate change during a leaders’ debate to which Anthony Albanese asked if Mr Dutton believed in gravity.

Mr Dutton was later forced to clarify that he did believe in climate change.

Originally published as Coalition climate war on the cards as Senators urges Liberals to not be afraid of the C-word