Politics

Federal

Political leadership

Opinion

Shaun Carney Columnist November 20, 2025 — 5.00am

The Coalition’s big reversal on climate and energy policy has triggered a mixture of self-congratulation, angst and confusion, but amid all that, the Liberal and National parties have done all Australians a good turn. In keeping with the ancient Greek maxim “Know thyself”, their abandonment of the previously bipartisan target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 ensures that we will learn a lot about ourselves between now and the next election.

It feels unseemly to be talking about another election when we had one just a few months ago, but one of the most important battle lines for 2028 has already been drawn.

Stripped down to its essence, the Coalition’s new offering is: Forget

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