Aussie Mainstream Opposition Formally Abandons Net Zero – Watts Up With That?

Essay by Eric Worrall

But still wants to stay in the Paris Agreement?

Liberals formally abandon net zero by 2050 but Ley says reaching target would still be ‘welcome outcome’

Future Coalition government would not withdraw from Paris climate agreement altogether, Liberal frontbench decides a day after five-hour party room debate

Dan Jervis-Bardy, Krishani Dhanji and Josh Butler
Thu 13 Nov 2025 17.13 AEDT

Future Coalition government would not withdraw from Paris climate agreement altogether, Liberal frontbench decides a day after five-hour party room debate

…

The Liberal party will abandon a firm net zero emissions target, siding with the Nationals to end the Coalition’s commitment to the climate goal, in a bid to pursue what Ley and energy spokesperson Dan Tehan called “energy abundance” by supporting nuclear power, and backing coal and gas.

But in an at-times confusing press conference, Ley said it would still be a “welcome outcome” if they managed to reach net zero emissions anyway, despite planning to junk Labor government legislation and renewable targets which support such an outcome.

“I could not be more clear when I say we are removing net zero targets and long-term targets from our policy. We are not pursuing a policy of net zero,” Ley said in Canberra on Thursday.

…

However the Liberal plan would not include withdrawing from the Paris agreement, which was a red line that could have prompted the resignation of moderate Liberals such as Andrew Bragg and Maria Kovacic. In an olive branch to moderates who wanted the target retained, MPs will also be free to argue that reaching net zero would be a “welcome outcome” in the future, two sources confirmed to Guardian Australia.

…

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/nov/13/liberal-party-net-zero-policy-meeting-debate-decision

The Guardian described the press conference which announced this new policy position as “at times confusing” – an assessment I agree with.

On a positive note, this will likely throw sand into the gears of the Aussie Net Zero revolution. It’s difficult to raise green energy loans on the back of subsidies which could be pulled at any moment. At the very least it will force the current government to provide more green energy loan guarantees, which will cause significant embarrassment, and open them to accusations of gambling with Australia’s future financial stability.

On the negative side, I and I’m sure plenty of my fellow Aussies still have no idea what Australia’s mainstream opposition stands for.

Still it seems a step in the right direction, however tentative.

Hopefully in a few years, in the leadup to the next election cycle, COP and Net Zero will have become such a no-show embarrassment political leaders will quietly forget there ever was a Paris Agreement.