Tony Abbott is vowing to vote against the Turnbull Government if it tries to introduce a clean energy target, with up to six backbenchers tipped to follow him.
The former prime minister has also blamed his bitter Liberal Party successor Malcolm Turnbull’s ‘government failure’ for AGL being reluctant to extend the life of the Liddell Power Station in the New South Wales Hunter Valley.
The Liberal backbencher has put his coalition government colleagues on notice that he will vote against any ‘unconscionable’ clean energy target in a parliament where his side of politics has a bare, one-seat majority.
Tony Abbott has blamed ‘government failure’ for AGL being reluctant to keep the Liddell Power Station open in the NSW Hunter Valley
AGL has announced they want to close this Liddell Power Station in 2022 but Tony Abbott has other ideas
Gloves off: Tony Abbott is threatening to strip the Liberal Party of any chance to bring in a new renewable energy target
‘He has let the government know his position. He won’t vote for a clean energy target,’ a government source told The Australian on Wednesday.
In an opinion piece, Mr Abbott argues the recommendation by the chief scientist for a clean energy target should be dropped.
‘It would be unconscionable for a government that was elected promising to scrap the carbon tax and to end Labor’s climate change obsessions to go down this path,’ he wrote.
It comes as AGL works on a plan, to be delivered to the government by early December, which would either keep Liddell open for another five years beyond 2022 when it is due to shut down, sell it, or find an extra 1000MW of power elsewhere.
Tony Abbott is vowing to reject any new ‘unconscionable’ clean energy target in parliament
The former prime minister wants the government to turn its back on any new renewable energy target so AGL has an incentive to keep the Liddell Power Station in NSW open
Mr Abbott says the government could send a strong signal to AGL by dumping all subsidies for renewable energy and encouraging coal-fired power, which is being built in many countries around the world.
‘This is not a case of market failure – this is a case of government failure,’ he told 2GB radio on Tuesday.
Mr Abbott claims it is bordering on absurd for a country with the world’s largest readily available reserves of coal, gas and uranium it should have some of the world’s highest power prices.
Tony Abbott and six backbenchers could derail any plan for a new renewable energy target
The Liberal backbencher wants light at the end of the tunnel for coal-fired power stations
‘But that’s what happens when policy is driven by wishful thinking and green religion.’
On Tuesday, Mr Abbott told 2GB the Turnbull government could send a strong signal to AGL by dumping all subsidies for renewable energy and encouraging coal-fired power.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wants to keep the company’s NSW Hunter Valley power station Liddell open beyond its planned 2022 closure.