The Sun-Herald andThe Sunday Age revealed leaked messages from Nationals MPs which showed that some were angry at details of their list of demands being canvassed publicly,before they had seen it,with Nationals senator Matt Canavan suggesting the Prime Minister’s office may have leaked it.
Mr Littleproud said his party did not want the demands “sprayed across every newspaper in the country”.
“This is about making sure it was a respectful process - a very detailed policy position that they,in fact,every party member within that party room,put forward,” he said.
“The wish list is exactly what the members asked for,the members and senators,asked for.
“We were trying to be pragmatic about this and trying to reinforce the point,we were trying to protect regional and rural Australian - not necessarily from this government.
“We’re not trying to blow the show up,we’re making sure we’re protecting those farmers,the opportunity for regional and rural Australia to grow in this... there was no ranting or raving – in fact there was a respectful articulation of ideas by everybody.
Asked whether the Nationals would back net zero by 2050 if only a small number of the party room was against it,Mr Littleproud said “if we get to a position where four or five aren’t happy and they and they make public - that’s our culture”.
Mr Littleproud also poured doubt on reports that the development of a nuclear industry was a key part of the Nationals’ demands,saying it was something the party room wanted but it was realistic about the views of the Australian electorate.
“Look,there’s been a lot of speculation,a lot of guesswork by a lot of journalists,trying to understand what the Nats may want,and nuclear is something the National Party obviously stands firmly behind as a party room but we understand you’ve got to educate before your legislate,the electorate isn’t necessarily there with us at the moment,” he said.
“If the electorate isn’t there why would we go and put our chin out and get hit.”
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NSW Treasurer Matt Kean on Sunday said he wanted the Prime Minister to take a net zero 2050 commitment,as well as a higher 2030 target,to Glasgow. The Morrison government is currently committed to reducing emissions by 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and is not expected to increase the target.
“What I would like to see him take to Glasgow is obviously a net zero commitment by 2050 but also an ambitious interim commitment by 2030,” Mr Kean told the ABC’sInsiders program.
“At the very least the Prime Minister should take the average targets of all the states and territories here in Australia,which would be around a 35 per cent target.”
“The idea that you can have just a projection doesn’t stack up for all of us who think that you should take climate change seriously.
“A projection without a target for 2030 basically says ‘we don’t take climate change seriously’ or ‘we don’t trust our projections or the policies to get there’.”