Nationals vote to scrap net zero, pledge to tie Australia’s emissions cuts to the OECD average

The Nationals have scrapped their party’s commitment to a net zero target for Australia, setting the stage for a potential split in the Coalition once the Liberals decide their policy.

Nationals leader David Littleproud says his party has “put a line in the sand” on climate policy and would “fight for Australians that are doing it tough, with their energy bills and holding on to their jobs in heavy industry, to give them some hope that there is another way to reduce our emissions”.

The party has pledged to tie Australia’s emissions cuts to the OECD average.

While Mr Littleproud wouldn’t put a number on how much this would mean emissions would fall by, a report from the Page Research Centre underpinning the new policy suggests it would be a 30 per cent cut by 2035. The Albanese Governmen