Deadset against Morrison confirms talks under way on net zero amid pushback from Nationals

By Anthony GallowayUpdated September 26, 2021 â€" 11.40amfirst published at 10.53am

Scott Morrison has confirmed he is developing a plan to achieve net zero emissions but the Prime Minister still faces considerable pushback from some Nationals MPs who are “deadset” against the target while one senior figure has temporarily quit the party room.

Nationals MP Darren Chester on Sunday morning announced his shock decision to quit the Nationals party room for at least a month, which could make Mr Morrison’s bid to win support from his own side for a plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050 more difficult.

The former cabinet minister is taking a break from federal party meetings over his leader Barnaby Joyce’s “repeated failure” to rein in Nationals Senator Matt Canavan and MP George Christensen.

Barnaby Joyce backer Matt Canavan (left) opposes the net-zero target.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Chester and former Nationals leader Michael McCormack have been urging party colleagues to back greater climate action to ensure Australia can remain relevant on the international stage.

Climate change action has been a significant focus of Mr Morrison’s talks in Washington in recent days where the Quad group of countries - Australia, the United States, Japan and India - agreed to reach net zero “preferably by 2050, and taking into account national circumstances”.

Sources confirmed Mr Morrison is in conversations with senior members of the government, including Nationals leader Mr Joyce, on using a “technology road map” to settle on the hard deadline of 2050.

The Prime Minister said he has been saying since the start of the year “we need to get to net zero”.

“What I’ve been working to do is to bring my government together to get a plan that we can take to the Australian people and show to the Australian people and say, ‘We can deal with this, we can do this, but we can do it without having to tax people, we can do it without having to shut down our industries and regions’,” Mr Morrison told Channel 7’s Weekend Sunrise program on Sunday.

“I think the team is focused on the goal and how we achieve it, so I’m not going to get ahead of this discussion ... I’m a patient person when it comes to getting things right.

“This has been an issue that has been in Australian politics for a long time … and I’m keen to ensure I bring people together on this.”

Minutes later, Senator Canavan took to social media to declare “I am deadset against net zero emissions”.

“Just look at the disaster the UK is living through. They’re switching off their industry to keep their lights on, and they are struggling to feed themselves. Net zero emissions would just make us weaker,” he wrote on Twitter.

National MPs, including Mr McCormack and Mr Chester, last week took aim at controversial colleague Mr Christensen, accusing him of “stirring up” violent mobs at anti-lockdown protests and using his profile as a government MP to validate their behaviour.

Mr Chester on Sunday morning confirmed he had decided to take a break from “organised meetings, events and activities in the Nationals federal parliamentary party room”.

“I will re-assess my position when Federal Parliament resumes in October,” he said on Facebook.

“To be clear, I continue to support the Coalition government but want some time away from the Nationals federal parliamentary party room to reflect on a number of significant issues.

“My decision follows months of frustration with the repeated failure of the leadership to even attempt to moderate some of the more disrespectful and offensive views expressed by a minority of colleagues.”

Asked about Mr Chester’s decision to reportedly take a break from the Nationals party room, Mr Joyce said: “The Nationals party room is the most democratic organisation in that Federal Parliament … in the past [Nationals MP] Kevin Hogan, he’s a good mate of mine, has sat on the crossbench. These issues have happened before.”

Mr Joyce said he can’t demand Mr Christensen no longer talks and “gaffer tape his mouth up”.

The Deputy Prime Minister said “obviously there are discussions, it would be absurd to think that people are not having discussions” about a net zero target.

“But ultimately we have to know the process, and my party room â€" the Nationals party room â€" are part and parcel of that, and discussions will be taken back to that party room,” he told the ABC’s Insiders program.

Mr Joyce said rural and regional areas bore the brunt of the Kyoto Protocol and any agreement to reach net zero emissions would have to make sure “there is not an unreasonable loss of jobs, or any loss of jobs, in regional areas”.

Asked whether this would mean agriculture would have to be excluded from the target, he said: “I’m not going to go into the particulars of any sort of discussions, but what I can say it is whether the commerce of a town is excluded, any loss of jobs is excluded.”

Deputy Leader of the Nationals David Littleproud also confirmed discussions were under way, saying “we want to look the Australian people square in the eyes” and outline the government’s plan.

Asked why Mr Joyce might be coming around to a net zero target, Mr Littleproud said: “We’ve all have a journey as we make our mind up as the information becomes more and more prevalent to us.

“At some juncture in the very near future that technology road map will be presented to all members of the Nationals party and we will be able to make that determination. We are the last line of defence for those people living in regional and rural Australia and to protect them,” Mr Littleproud told Sky News.

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Anthony Galloway is foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via Twitter or email.

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