Outgoing Liberal MP Tim Wilson has urged his party not to go backwards on climate change, arguing the Coalition must remain relevant to the debate on how best to hit Australias emissions targets.
Wilson, a moderate Liberal who lost his affluent bayside seat of Goldstein to teal independent Zoe Daniel, told the National Energy Efficiency Conference on Thursday that his party must not water down its promise to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero in net terms by 2050.
The outgoing Federal Member for Goldstein Tim Wilson with husband Ryan Bolger at Green Point in Brighton after conceding to independent Zoe DanielCredit:PENNY STEPHENS
I dont think we should go backwards on our position, he said. I dont think anyone serious is entertaining that.
He warned the Coalitions stance on climate change would be informed by what the new government does and how it seeks to be implemented it.
I think what our role has to be is really to give the communities that are left represented by the Coalition a voice in the conversation, to make sure that theyre not lost because thats always been my fear.
Wilson, who said he was coming to terms with his election loss, said corporate Australia had been moving ahead anyway on climate change, warning the Coalition must not be left behind.
He said people had underestimated the achievement of getting a firm commitment to net-zero emissions.
One of the achievements of our net-zero target was ... not just that we got it, we got everybody on the same page, but unlike other countries, we then were we werent in looking to backslide.
So I think weve kind of underestimated how powerful that is, and about how also important its going to be continuing to build the structures to actually achieve it now.
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