Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley has downplayed the Nationals' dumping of net zero, despite the decision ramping up pressure on internal party divisions over energy.
On Sunday, the Nationals unanimously voted to "abandon its support for a net zero mandate" following a meeting of grassroots members a day earlier.
Nationals leader David Littleproud said his party believed in reducing emissions "but not at any cost", as he walked away from a position he re-committed to only five months ago, following the Coalition's brief split.
Ley said the Nationals were "entitled" to their own position, and remained engaged in "convivial conversation" with Littleproud "about next steps in the process".
"I'm looking forward to the work that will happen between now and the Liberal Party's position becoming known, and then us sitting down together as two mature parties developing something that takes the fight up to the Labor Party," she told reporters on Monday.
"Because while a lot of your questions are about process and personnel, for me it is really about one thing and that is the train wreck energy policy of this government."
The federal government has committed to achieving net zero by 2050 — meaning the amount of greenhouse gases released will be balanced by those removed from the atmosphere — and is pursuing an interim target of a 62 to 70 per cent reduction by 2035, compared to 2005 levels.
Opposition energy spokesperson Dan Tehan has been leading the review of the party's energy and emissions reduction policy, a process he said would take six to nine months.
On Monday morning, he was coy about an exact policy timeline, but said in "a perfect world", it would be released by Christmas.
"Affordability first. That has to be an absolute key. And then we've also got to make sure we're doing our bit when it comes to emissions reduction," he said.
Despite her upbeat demeanour, rumours of a Coalition split are swirling once again, with net zero believed to have been a factor in the Nationals-Liberals break-up in May.
It comes as the Coalition's primary vote plunged to 24 per cent, its worst Newspoll result on record.
Source: SBS News
'Turn our back' on net zero
Liberal backbencher Sarah Henderson didn't mince her words, calling for the party to "reject" net zero, hoping a position is reached "as soon as possible".
"I very much hope that my liberal colleagues support the position, where we turn our back entirely on Labor's terrible net zero laws, which are causing enormous environmental and economic harm," she told reporters on Monday.
"The crippling cost, particularly in regional communities, means so many Australians are suffering."
Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh agreed, saying that she was advocating for her community and a policy that's not "anti-environment, it is pro-reality".
"These are everyday Australians whose energy bills are through the roof. It is not about politics, it is not ideology. Once again, it's about people's survival in the suburbs of Australia," she said.
It is understood that leading conservatives Angus Taylor, Michaelia Cash, Jonathon Duniam and James Paterson spoke in favour of dumping net zero at a leadership meeting on Sunday night, according to a report by The Australian.
Andrew Bragg, a moderate Liberal senator, is hopeful his party will stick to net zero "in some form", arguing Australia can't walk away from its international commitments.
"I mean, every country does it differently. When you go to the G20, what you find is that different countries get to net zero on a different date. 2047, 2053, 2050, 2060, 2070. I don't think that's the main point," he said.
"The main point is that you've got a commitment to get there, and the question of how you can do it domestically is a matter for Australia."
The debate is reminiscent of the Coalition's opposition to the Voice to Parliament. The Nationals jumped the gun, announcing their rejection of the Voice, forcing Peter Dutton to announce the same position six months later.
It puts Ley in a difficult position; she can either fall in with a policy that could further alienate metropolitan voters, or chart a different course and risk another Coalition split.
However, Liberal MP Angie Bell is adamant that the party isn't "beholden" to the Nationals.
"We are the Liberal Party. I sit in the Liberal Party room in Canberra, and we will go through our processes, which your viewers would understand would be different to the National Party processes," she told Sky News.
"And we will come to that in due course when we've done the work and we understand where our policy needs to be."
