Trent Zimmerman and Dave Sharma speak out as Simon Birmingham acknowledges Coalition has already signed up to net zero emissions target

This article is more than 7 months old

This article is more than 7 months old

Two moderate Liberals have declared the Morrison government should not underwrite a new coal-fired power station, as the trade minister Simon Birmingham has acknowledged the Coalition has already signed up to a net zero carbon emissions target “for the world” by 2050.

The government’s decision on Saturday to unveil a $4m feasibility study with Shine Energy into a proposed coal-fired power plant at Collinsville has reopened the Coalition’s rolling internal debate over climate action, with Sydney Liberals Trent Zimmerman and Dave Sharma arguing on Monday the federal government should not back new coal plants in Australia.

Zimmerman was blunt. “We have no commitment to fund a coal-fired power station and I don’t think we should,” the MP told Sky News. “From my perspective, it’s not the business of the commonwealth government to be building or funding coal-fired power stations”.

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Sharma said there was a case for extending the life of coal plants during the transition to low emissions energy, and if private interests wanted to pursue a new plant, that was “a different proposition – but I don’t think the government should be in the position of doing this”.

Nationals in Queensland have been pushing for a new coal plant in the state, with that issue one of the sources of tension that escalated to the point where the former party leader Barnaby Joyce made an unsuccessful tilt at the Nationals leadership last week.

The junior Coalition partner remains riven, with Queenslander Llew O’Brien – the MP who moved the spill motion against Michael McCormack last week – announcing on Monday he would no longer sit in the Nationals party room after a row with the leader. The shift is largely symbolism. O’Brien remains a member of the Liberal National party in Queensland and will attend joint party room meetings.

While Liberal moderates have returned for the new parliamentary year inclined to raise their voices about the importance of climate action, the resistance to taxpayer backing for coal was met with pushback on Monday from the Queensland National George Christensen.

Christensen said when it came to new coal, the ball was already rolling. “Despite claims by one inner-city Liberal MP on Sky News this morning, the Morrison Liberal National government is providing funding to coal-fired power projects, principally because they provide stable and reliable baseload supply.”

He said the feasibility study into the Collinsville plant was step one of a two-stage process. “When the Collinsville clean coal-fired power project is ready to be constructed, it will be eligible for consideration under the Morrison Liberal National government’s underwriting new generation investments program, which supports targeted investment that will lower prices, increase competition and increase reliability in the energy system.

“That is exactly what a coal-fired power plant at Collinsville will do. That funding program is open until 2023 and the Collinsville project will be eligible for such support. I note that one coal project is already being considered for support under the program.”

Christensen declared the Coalition was still in government in Canberra because of public support for the LNP in “crucial seats like Herbert, Dawson, Capricornia and Flynn”.

“These seats have allowed us to retain government.”

Christensen was backed by the former resources minister Matt Canavan, who resigned his cabinet post last week to support Joyce’s run against McCormack, and who branded renewable technology the “dole bludgers” of the energy sector.

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Matthew Canavan (@mattjcan) I see some are saying that we should not help coal fired power stations provide jobs because we should leave it to the market. Well if that's the view be consistent and argue against the billions we give to renewables every year!

In addition to declaring there was no case for taxpayers underwriting new coal, Zimmerman said on Monday the Coalition needed to “seriously consider” signing up nationally to a target of net zero emissions by 2050.

By signing the Paris agreement, Australia has already accepted that end point, but parties to the agreement are due this year to provide updated commitments.

Scott Morrison has left open the idea that his government will sign up affirmatively to net zero by 2050, and the prime minister signed a communique at last year’s Pacific Island Forum committing Australia to considering it.

Q&A What is in Zali Steggall's climate change bill? Show Hide Independent MP Zali Steggall – along with her fellow crossbenchers Rebekah Sharkie, Helen Haines and Andrew Wilkie – is seeking bipartisan support for a climate change framework bill aimed at transitioning Australia to a decarbonised economy. This is what's in it. • Aims to limit global warming to well below 2C, pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures. • Net zero carbon emissions target by 2050. • To achieve the target, the minister creates an emissions budget. • Establishes a Climate Change Commission to prepare a national climate change risk assessment every five years. • The commission is made up of a chair, Australia's chief scientist and five other members – who must have experience in either climate science, business, agriculture, environmental management, energy, transport or regional development. * The assessments cover the risks climate change poses to the economy, society, agriculture, environment and ecology. • In response, the minister creates a national adaptation plan. • The commission provides the minister with yearly adaptation plan progress reports. • Decisions made under the Act must be based on the best available science. • It abolishes the current Climate Change Authority, with the commission to take its place.

Birmingham, a leading moderate in the cabinet, said on Monday: “In signing onto the Paris agreement, Australia has committed to a net zero target for the world by the second half of this century, and we have to then work towards that, and we do that in the bite-size pieces of what we can achieve to 2030.

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“And my expectation is that we don’t just meet but we beat those commitments and we do so hopefully as overwhelmingly as we have in terms of the 2020 targets, if not even better.”

Liberals will also face some discomfort, with the independent MP Zali Steggall – who took the seat of Warringah from Tony Abbott at the last election – bringing forward a new bill making the net zero by 2050 commitment explicit.

Steggall told reporters on Monday Liberals now had an opportunity to act, not just talk. She also indicated she would be communicating with people outside her own electorate if Liberals didn’t sign on to the proposal.