Overview
- The Nationals voted unanimously to drop the 2050 commitment and propose tying Australia’s cuts to the OECD average, reducing the 2035 target to roughly 35% while backing coal, gas, nuclear and renewables.
- The decision intensifies pressure on Opposition Leader Sussan Ley as Liberals review energy policy, with anonymous moderates saying they could quit the frontbench or prefer a split rather than abandon the goal.
- A Newspoll reported the Coalition’s primary vote at 24% and One Nation at 15% as the dispute unfolded, with Ley’s personal ratings sliding further.
- Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Labor’s Murray Watt condemned the shift, while analysis warned it could damage the Liberals in urban and teal-aligned seats.
- Barnaby Joyce did not attend the meeting, and media reports suggest he could gravitate toward One Nation, highlighting volatility on the Coalition’s right flank.