As state Liberal parties move away from net zero, leaders face battle for unity

ABC NEWS (Australia)

WA Liberal Leader Basil Zempilas says his party supports Australia's Net Zero plan, despite the party's State Council voting to abandon the policy. The motion, put forward by the Canning Division in federal MP Andrew Hastie's electorate, passed with overwhelming support but Mr Zempilas says his state team is entitled to its own position.

Transcript

00:00The Western Australian Liberal Party State Council said no go on net zero, but the WA

00:09Liberal leader has a different view.

00:12We support the status quo on the net zero targets, they are targets, they are an ambition

00:18and we support the status quo.

00:20But the parliamentary team is quite entitled to have its own priorities and its own direction.

00:26A motion calling on the Federal Liberal Party to abandon a commitment to net zero greenhouse

00:31gas emissions by 2050 passed on Saturday in Mandurah with overwhelming support.

00:38Members in agreement the Federal Coalition should walk away from the policy as pressure

00:43mounts on Federal Opposition Leader Susan Lee.

00:46Well we're part of a process but I think it's pretty clear the South Australian Division,

00:50the WA Division, the Northern Territory Division have adopted this position.

00:55We'll see how the LNP goes in future weeks.

00:58Motions were also passed to get rid of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags behind the

01:03Prime Minister at media conferences and to cut back on welcome to country ceremonies.

01:08The WA Parliamentary Liberal Party supports the status quo.

01:13We are very comfortable with standing in front of the Aboriginal flag.

01:17We are very comfortable with the welcome to country.

01:19But the motions gave the state government plenty of bait.

01:23As we know in WA the Liberal Party is governed by the extreme right wing.

01:27They're into culture wars while we're into governing for all Western Australians.

01:32Party members the ABC spoke to said it's not necessarily unusual for the WA Liberal Party members

01:39and the Parliamentary Party to disagree.

01:42But given the mounting pressure on the Federal Coalition over the net zero debate,

01:47a grassroots and Parliamentary Party splinter is less than ideal.

01:51Ms Lee is yet to announce a formal position currently reviewing Liberal policies while balancing

01:57internal divisions within the Nationals.

02:00We are now balancing internal divisions within WA.

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