Moderate Liberals have taken issue with Peter Dutton’s declaration the Coalition will oppose Labor’s legislation for its emissions reduction target, saying the position should be thrashed out in the party room.
Either way, many in the Liberal Party feel uncomfortable about voting against the legislation, given the pivotal role climate change played at the May 21 election.One moderate, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Liberal MPs who had clung on to seats in Melbourne and Sydney while those around them fell to pro-climate change independents and parties, could not afford to be seen to oppose climate action.
Mr Bandt appeared to soften his stance that the Greens, which support a 75 per cent target for 2030, would not even negotiate with Labor unless it slapped a six-month moratorium on new coal and gas projects.Mr Bandt talked tough about what he said was the inadequacy of Labor’s target but did not rule out voting for legislation, more so given the Greens frequently have been criticised for voting with Tony Abbott’s Coalition in 2009 to block Labor’s carbon pollution reduction scheme.