The Liberal Party has dumped the net zero by 2050 emissions reduction target from its policy platform, four years after adopting it under former leader Scott Morrison.
The position now aligns with its junior Coalition partner, the Nationals, who officially dropped the target earlier this month after their post-election policy review.
It signifies a break in bipartisan support for net zero, which was legislated by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in 2022.
The exact wording of their commitment will be revealed by Opposition leader Sussan Ley at about 2pm on Thursday, but the platform will not mention the 2050 emissions reduction deadline, according to a senior Liberal source.
It follows a three-hour meeting of the Liberal frontbench, a day after a five-hour wider party room debate, during which each party member articulated their views.
A senior Liberal source revealed that 28 Liberal members opposed any reference to net zero in the party's future policy.
SBS News understands 17 members championed the net zero target, and the position of four members was unclear.
During the meeting, the party room backed a set of principles to underpin their climate and energy agenda, with climate change and energy spokesperson Dan Tehan revealing that "energy affordability" was its first focus.
"The second principle is that we have to be serious when it comes to addressing emissions reduction, because we want to be able to show very clearly that this is an issue, that the whole party room takes seriously," Tehan told reporters on Wednesday.
Tehan, who has lead a committee into the policy area, is now expected to enter talks about the Coalition's policy more broadly with Nationals negotiators, including Senator Matt Canavan, Ross Cadell and Susan McDonald.
It is unclear how the Coalition will navigate the discussion with voters in urban seats, where a larger portion of voters demand action on climate change and net zero is seen as a proxy for the issue.
Albanese says Coalition taking 'Australia backwards'
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was critical of the Coalition infighting, stating industry needs certainty for long-term investment.
"The Coalition are choosing to take Australia backwards. They’re walking away from jobs for Australians, and investment certainty for business," he told reporters on Thursday morning.
"They’re walking away from climate action because they fundamentally do not believe in the science of climate change."
He said: "Australians cannot afford to keep paying the price of Coalition infighting when it comes to climate policy and energy policy."
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