Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has repeatedly refused to stand by net zero commitment as key Nationals push to dump it
Former Nationals Leader Michael McCormack revealed on Wednesday that he will back Barnaby Joyce's private member's bill to repeal carbon reduction targets despite previously being a supporter of the Coalition's net zero policy.
The alliance between the two Nationals rivals is likely to ramp up pressure for the Coalition to abandon the commitment it made when Scott Morrison was Prime Minister.
Speaking to Sky News Australia, Ms Ley said the two Nationals MPs were 'pretty good at speaking up for themselves' but the Coalition would have an energy policy based on two principles.
'We will have an energy policy going forward with two fundamentals: that we play our part in reducing emissions in a transparent way, and that we have a reliable energy grid that provides stable, affordable energy for households and businesses,' the Liberal leader said
'Those two principles are the ones that our working group will start working with, and everyone in our coalition party room will have an opportunity (to provide) input into that.'
Asked whether she supported net zero, the Liberal leader said the Coalition would examine energy policy from the two already stated principles.
'It's not about picking out an individual area of that policy. It's broader than that. It's bigger than that,' she said.
'Think of those two fundamentals… these are things that the government is not presenting to Australians. They're not being honest about the cost of their energy policy. We're going to hold them to account for that.'
Pressed again whether the Coalition would continue with its commitment to net zero, the Opposition Leader again refused to answer.
'Our policies are under review. I said that after we lost the election, our values are not,' she said.
And when Sky News host Pete Stefanovic asked whether this was the start of a move to walk away from the commitment, the Liberal leader said the Coalition's energy working group would engage in a 'genuine way which incorporates the views of everyone in our joint party rooms'.
'That's exactly what Australians would expect of us, and they would expect a policy that is underpinned by playing our part in reducing emissions, but also that stable energy grid that Australians deserve, expect, and I'm really concerned I'm not going to get from this government,' she said.
Nationals leader David Littleproud also told Sky News Australia that he had 'real concerns' about what is occurring on the ground as a result of the government's net zero push.
'We're trying to achieve the impossible, rather than doing what's sensible,' he said.
'I've got three or four significant projects going on in my electorate at the moment. They are tearing families apart, they are tearing communities apart.
'And when you look at what's happening around the world, the world is actually realising it's a lot harder than what they expect.
'In fact, you're even seeing now news out of the EU where they're actually saying they're going to exempt their heavy industries from carbon emissions.
'I think the world is starting to realise we want to reduce emissions, but the way that we're doing it isn't sensible. It's costing a lot of people a lot of money.'
The Nationals leader said he didn't think people in metropolitan areas understood the burden regional and rural communities were being asked to bear.
He said the Nationals were holding a review of net zero, which would be done 'calmly and methodically, understanding the human toll, the economic toll, and the social toll'.
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