Independent MP Monique Ryan has this morning slammed the Coalition for its division over net zero, claiming they are “headed for electoral oblivion”.
Speaking to Nine’s Today show following the National Party’s announcement yesterday that it was abandoning net zero, Ryan said, “[The Coalition] don’t know what they believe. They’re trying to look at, I think polls or the popularity contest. This is an important issue, and Australia, they know that climate change is real. They know that we need to do something about it. They’re looking to political leaders for leadership.
“They are not getting it. And I think they’re just basically driving themselves off a cliff in terms of both their electoral prospects, but also what that means for these political parties. It’s a critical time for the Coalition. They need to, you know, really look to themselves and look to what their guiding principles are, if there are any at all, and get back to those. If they don’t, they are headed for electoral oblivion.”
Independent MP Monique Ryan.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
The Nats’ new policy will focus on climate adaptation and mitigation of carbon emissions, National Party leader David Littleproud said yesterday.
The decision poses a significant problem for Opposition Leader Sussan Ley as MPs return to parliament today. Three sources, who spoke to this masthead on the condition of anonymity, said moderates would prefer to split the Coalition than drop net zero aspirations altogether, and some were willing to quit the frontbench over the issue.
“The Liberal Party has lost two elections on net zero, and it looks like it’s just going to drive itself into an existential crisis here. It’s a bit sad, really, because we need an effective opposition, but we’re not going to get that at this point in this term of government from the Nationals or from the Liberals,” Ryan said.
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