Shadow home affairs minister Andrew Hastie has threatened to resign from the Coalition frontbench if the Liberal Party maintains its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, dealing a fresh blow to Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's leadership.
The Western Australian MP described the Albanese government's target as being pursued in the name of 'climate alarmism', and said he would be 'without a job' if the Liberals retained the policy after its post-election review. Hastie told ABC Radio Perth on Monday that his primary mission in politics was to build a stronger, more secure Australia, and that net zero acted as a 'straitjacket' on the economy.
Hastie's ultimatum follows the sacking of Jacinta Nampijinpa Price from the shadow ministry last week, and adds to growing internal dissent over climate policy. The Victorian Liberal division voted on Sunday to abandon net zero targets, joining similar moves in South Australia, Western Australia, and Queensland's Liberal National Party.
The former Morrison government brokered a deal with the Nationals in 2021 to support net zero by 2050, but Nationals leader David Littleproud and colleagues Matt Canavan and Michael McCormack have since voiced strong opposition. The Albanese government is expected to announce its 2035 target before the UN climate conference in November, having already legislated a 43% emissions reduction by 2030.
