Net zero, the Coalition and the trail of political gore

Politics

Federal

Paris Agreement

Editorial

The innards and outs of Coalition’s energy policy

The Herald's View November 8, 2025 — 5.00am

In her book Plots and Prayers, Niki Savva writes about a Coalition cabinet meeting that took place just before Malcolm Turnbull’s overthrow in 2018. When discussion turned to the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) – Turnbull and Josh Frydenberg’s bid to cut emissions while keeping energy affordable – Christopher Pyne argued: “We can keep dragging our bloodied stump across the political firmament, leaving a trail of gore behind us, or we can cut our losses and move on [from the NEG].”

The Liberal Party’s choice of Scott Morrison to replace Turnbull and his subsequent election victory might have been seen as vindication for Pyne’s view, except th