Tony Abbott has reignited his push to scrap subsidies for renewable energy, taking on the new energy minister, Angus Taylor, at his first meeting of the government’s backbench energy and environment committee on Tuesday.

Sources at Tuesday’s meeting have told Guardian Australia that the former prime minister, who joined the backbench committee as a voting member just before Malcolm Turnbull was deposed as part of efforts to sink the national energy guarantee, asked a number of questions about the future of subsidies for renewable energy, both for rooftop solar and the renewable energy target – but Taylor was not drawn.

During the discussion, the minister made the point that the schemes were in the process of winding down.

Another outspoken conservative, Craig Kelly, also asked how he was meant to respond to questions about the government’s commitment to staying in the Paris climate agreement when it is completely unclear how the Paris commitments will be met.

According to colleagues, Kelly said: “If I’m asked what’s our policy, what am I going to say?” He then declared the government needed to outline concrete actions in sections of the economy where emissions are rising, such as transport and agriculture, to highlight the costs of complying with the Paris obligations, and then use that material to mount a political attack on Labor’s commitment to a 45% emissions reduction target.

Some sources at the meeting claim Kelly’s intervention was met with “blank looks” from Taylor and the new environment minister, Melissa Price, who was also present.

Price was also questioned about whether Australia would continue to contribute to the UN climate fund.

The new prime minister, Scott Morrison, has signalled Australia will remain in the Paris agreement, and contends Australia will meet its commitments “at a canter” even though he has scrapped the national energy guarantee, which imposed an emissions reduction target for electricity of 26% by 2030, and there are no policies for other sectors of the economy.

Morrison repeated his “at a canter” contention on 2GB on Tuesday morning, and said compliance with the Paris target would have “no impact on electricity prices”.

In an attempt to hose down the convervative broadcaster Alan Jones, who has been on an unrelenting public crusade to junk the Paris agreement, Morrison said the issue was critical in the Pacific, with climate change “dominat[ing] their thinking and agenda”.

“The 26% was set four years ago, it’s been there all of that time and in that time we have created a million jobs,” Morrison said. “So we’ll get on with growing the economy; I’m just going to keep focusing on getting electricity prices down with the policies that I know will work.”

Tuesday’s backbench briefing was Taylor’s first since taking the energy portfolio from Josh Frydenberg, and the first since the government formally abandoned the national energy guarantee at a cabinet meeting on Monday.

There was a wide-ranging discussion among MPs about the government’s proposed reboot on energy prices, which Morrison is making central to his attempt to revive the government’s political fortunes – which have been thumped by voter displeasure at the leadership change.

Taylor told backbenchers network charges in NSW and Queensland were too high but did not say what he might do about it.

There was also a detailed discussion about bidding practices in the national electricity market, with some MPs arguing a maximum price should be imposed to put a brake on increases.

Taylor noted bids had doubled at the time the Hazelwood power plant exited the market but he shared no concrete recommendation about how existing practices might be overhauled.