‘Economically catastrophic’: Liberal MPs Ben Small and Henry Pike join calls for Coalition to dump net zero

Two more Liberal MPs have joined calls for the Coalition to dump its net zero commitment despite a majority of voters opposing the axing of the policy.

Western Australia’s Ben Small warned on Sunday that the consequences of the climate target would be “economically catastrophic” while Queensland’s Henry Pike called for the Opposition to mount a campaign that would “challenge the orthodoxy”.

The pair join more than half a dozen Liberal and National Party MPs who have urged the Coalition to dump its net zero commitment, which it signed up to under the leadership of then prime minister Scott Morrison.

However several Liberals have also urged against such a move, warning it would harm the Opposition’s ability to win back inner city seats lost at both the 2022 and 2025 federal elections.

Ac