00:00Gemma, definitely discussions around net zero, but as for whether or not a resolution on
00:08this issue is going to be achieved any time soon is yet to be known.
00:13The coalition does, the Liberals rather, do appear to be shifting towards also abandoning
00:20a commitment to net zero, despite some warnings from moderates within the party about the
00:26risk in doing so.
00:28Now, this all comes after the Nationals formally abandoned a commitment to reaching net zero
00:33emissions by 2050 at the weekend, and that set up a challenge for opposition leader Susan
00:41Lee as well as the Liberal Party to either follow that move or potentially risk another
00:48split like we saw between the Nationals and the Liberals for a brief period earlier this
00:54year after the election defeat.
00:56Now, the ABC has spoken to several Liberal MPs about their thoughts on this move from the
01:03Nationals and what they hope to see next.
01:07The right within the party is pushing for the Liberals to follow the Nationals.
01:13However, others are concerned about the potential of what they say not being credible if they
01:21don't have some sort of net zero policy.
01:24Now, one Liberal has told the ABC that the centre of the debate is starting to shift more towards abandoning
01:31the target, but there are still discussions around whether or not an aspiration could be kept, as opposed to legislating a firm target.
01:41Now, Liberal frontbencher Andrew Bragg has also spoken about this earlier, and he's been publicly calling for his party to keep a climate target.
01:54And he says that Australia risks becoming a pariah state if it abandons its commitment to the Paris agreement, as well as net zero.
02:03But he also is now saying that the exact date at which Australia should reach net zero is something that still needs to be worked through.
02:13Let's take a listen to what he had to say.
02:17We represent in the main urban Australia, we also represent regional seats, but we need to make sure that we have a credible policy to present to the people who live in urban Australia.
02:29We're a highly urbanised population, and the expectation is, particularly with how many Millennials and Gen Zs are on the voting rolls now, that we actually believe this is a real risk to our future and that we have a credible policy
02:43Now, while we are seeing regular developments on this issue, at this stage, it's not expected that the Liberal Party will come to a decision this week, given that it's still undertaking a review into energy policy.
03:00But there is pressure for this issue to be put to bed.
03:04The Liberal Party has brought forward the timeline of that review, conscious that it is creating some tensions within the party.
03:12But opposition leader Susan Lee is also under pressure to reach a position that will keep both the Liberal Party and the coalition united, but also a position that won't risk losing more of those inner city seats at the next election, Gemma.
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