Nationals WA members have voted to stand with their eight parliamentarians in formally rejecting the Labor Government’s net-zero climate targets.
At Saturday’s State Council meeting in Perth, members agreed that Labor’s approach is making life harder for families and businesses across regional WA, driving up costs and undermining economic stability.
Nationals WA Leader Shane Love MLA said the message from members was unequivocal.
“WA Nationals support the Paris Climate Agreement and the need to reduce emissions, but not the ‘rip, tear or bust’ approach adopted by Labor,” Mr Love said.
“Our members want a sensible, achievable pathway that lowers emissions over time using all technologies, from renewables to every decarbonisation tool available.”
Mr Love said Australia’s energy realities now defy logic.
“It is patently absurd that Japan, a country entirely reliant on imported coal and gas, much of it from Australia, now has lower wholesale electricity prices than we do,” he said.
“How can a resource-rich country like Australia pay more for electricity than an energy-stranded nation like Japan? It would be laughable if it weren’t so serious.”
Mr Love said Labor’s climate targets are gutting industry, with more than 7,000 jobs lost since 2020 and thousands more currently being propped up through taxpayer subsidies.
“Major hydrogen projects have collapsed, nickel refining and smelting have shut down, and manufacturers are under threat,” he said.
“If we keep charging down Labor’s reckless path, Australians will only feel more pain.”
Recent research estimates the total cost of Net Zero at between $7 and $9 trillion, equivalent to around $250,000 per Australian.
The same research shows that 151 million tonnes of Australia’s 158 million tonnes of emissions reductions have come from land-use changes, not technological improvements.
“Seven million tonnes of CO₂ savings have been achieved simply by restricting what farmers can do with their land,” Mr Love said.
“At this rate, if we keep locking up land at the current scale, Australia will eventually have to start importing wheat, despite WA being the nation’s single biggest wheat exporter.”
Mr Love said the WA Nationals “support the science of climate change, but not the science of self-sabotage.”
“People are hurting. Businesses are on the brink. It’s time to stop, reset, and adopt a pathway that protects both our environment and our economy,” he said.
“That’s what our members endorsed today.”
