The Coalition is repudiating its longstanding policy positions on climate, even to the extent of disowning many of the structures it created when in government. Such thinking is not from the conservative tradition and has more in common with the radical. In my view, it is an abandonment of the Liberal traditions and values that have long sustained the party’s success.

The Coalition wants to remove net zero targets from Australian law, abolish the Net Zero Economy Agency, reform (read diminish) the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation as well as remove the electric vehicle tax concession, battery rebates and Scope 3 emission reporting requirements. It intends to cancel the annual Climate Change Statement to Parliament and remove the statutory mandate of the Climate Change Authority to advise on future targets.

The good news for those of us who want to hand over a better world to the next generation is that many of these extreme measures will have to navigate the Senate. Depending on the Senate’s disposition, the Coalition is unlikely to find much support.

It is the opposition’s role to question government spending. The institutions, policy settings and expenditures must always be questioned to ensure they are fit for purpose and public funds are invested wisely. In the name of reducing the cost of living and protecting the Australian way of life, the Coalition is walking away from any serious attempt to reduce pollution or invest in the natural world that sustains our lives.

The unabashed assault on longstanding measures to drive down emissions and facilitate decarbonisation seems almost pathological rather than rational. More........

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