Liberal Party in SHAMBLES Over Climate Policy: “Dogs Returning to Their Vomit”
- Liberal Party faces existential crisis over climate and energy policy, with some MPs threatening to cross the floor.
- Net zero by 2050 target has sparked bitter infighting, with hardliners like Angus Taylor refusing to compromise.
- Party leaders warn of a massive blow-up if they can’t resolve their position, with Sussan Ley’s leadership hanging in the balance.
The Liberal Party is in the midst of a full-blown crisis over climate policy, with the net zero by 2050 target tearing the party apart. The bitter infighting has sparked warnings of a massive blow-up that could bring down Sussan Ley’s leadership. In a stark admission, Liberal MP Andrew Hastie said he would oppose net zero “in any form”, while hardliner Angus Taylor has refused to budge.
The party’s energy spokesman, Dan Tehan, is desperate to find a solution, but time is running out. “Unfortunately, Malcolm couldn’t unite the joint party room on energy policy and we had a breakaway group in the Nationals who made a strategic decision to blow this up,” Ley lamented.
The Nationals, too, are in chaos, with Barnaby Joyce set to jump ship and Matt Canavan leading the party’s review. The optics are dire, with some Liberals too afraid to attend branch meetings lest they face a backlash from angry party members.
As the party teeters on the brink of implosion, Environment Minister Murray Watt is under pressure to introduce his legislation to reform the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. The Greens have already condemned the bill, and Labor will need the support of either the opposition or the Greens in the Senate.
In a scathing critique, former treasury secretary Ken Henry said the EPBC act had “patently failed to halt the degradation of Australia’s natural environment”. The government’s commitment to removing red and green tape is being tested, but it’s unclear if they can get the necessary support.
As the crisis deepens, Liberal leaders are left to wonder if they are “dogs returning to their vomit”, doomed to repeat the same mistakes of the past.
One thing is certain: the Liberal Party’s climate policy shambles is a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode at the worst possible moment.