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Australian jobs more important than net zero, Nationals minister says

Australian jobs more important than net zero, Nationals minister says

Sep 24, 2021 1 min, 24 secs

The federal resources minister, Keith Pitt, has pushed back against Josh Frydenberg after the treasurer made the case for the government signing up to net zero emissions, declaring resources industry jobs were more important than “demands from foreign countries or the United Nations”.

The Queensland National told Guardian Australia anyone could front-run the government’s internal deliberations on climate policy ahead of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow but “there’s currently no proposal nor agreement”.

“Everyone’s entitled to float a boat and I’ll be putting the jobs of the more than one million Australians employed directly and indirectly in the Australian resources sector well in front of any demands from foreign countries or the United Nations secretariat,” Pitt said.

With metropolitan Liberals increasingly concerned the National party is dictating the terms of the government’s climate policy, Frydenberg made a significant public intervention on Friday, articulating the economic case for Australia to commit to net zero emissions by 2050.

The finance minister, Simon Birmingham, backed Frydenberg’s arguments and also signalled his opposition to offering the Nationals “handouts” to clinch a deal on climate policy in the lead-up to the crucial UN summit.

The government could decline to explicitly endorse the specific mid-century commitment, while announcing a roadmap of actions that would set Australia on the net zero path.

But the National party’s former leader Michael McCormack and the former frontbencher Darren Chester have this week argued the case for the government to either make the net zero pledge or give it serious consideration.

On Friday, Birmingham expressed confidence that the government could settle on a climate policy “in ways that protect jobs across Australia, especially in regional areas”

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