Dutton slammed the 2030 target in an interview in The Australian published on Saturday but did not name an alternative, leading to days of debate before he confirmed on Tuesday that he would not commit to a target before the election.
Australian National University Professor Mark Howden said Australia would be in breach of the Paris Agreement if it abandoned the 2030 target and did not have a viable pathway to reduce emissions.
While Liberal frontbenchers have backed Dutton’s stance, some MPs expressed concern that it would cost the party votes in urban electorates in Melbourne, Sydney and south-east Queensland.
“I don’t know what seats we are hoping to win with that position,” said Bridget Archer, the Liberal member for Bass in northern Tasmania.
Archer said the government had legislated the 2030 target and any proposal to change that target should be put to voters before the election.
Other Liberal MPs unwilling to speak on the record said the policy should have been discussed more widely before Dutton ruled out a 2030 target, given the way his policy could weaken support in city seats.
Member for Kooyong Dr Monique Ryan during a press conference on gas exports last month.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Dutton singled out independent Monique Ryan, the member for Kooyong in Melbourne, as part of an attack on the teal MPs on climate and other issues.
“Monique Ryan is a Green. She’s not a disaffected Liberal, she’s a Green. I think she’s completely disconnected with where families are in Kooyong at the moment,” Dutton said.
“It’s absolutely certain that Monique Ryan would support Anthony Albanese in a minority government. So, a vote for Monique Ryan is a vote for Anthony Albanese, and similarly in a number of other teal seats as well.
Illustration: Matt Golding
“So, I think we can win those seats back.”
Ryan said Dutton was undermining confidence in new industries, such as hydrogen and critical minerals, because he could not commit to a 2030 target.
“It makes a mockery of democracy if Peter Dutton thinks he can go to the next election without telling us what arguably his most important policy is,” she said. “My community wants strong climate action and sensible economic management. They’re not getting either from Peter Dutton at the moment.”
The draft redistribution in Victorian electorates, revealed earlier this month, has raised Liberal hopes about regaining Kooyong. However, it has made Liberal seats such as Casey, Deakin and Menzies harder for the party to hold at the next election, according to analysis by ABC election analyst Antony Green and others.
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In Queensland, a campaign group moved last weekend to field an independent to take on the Liberals in the seat of McPherson where former cabinet minister Karen Andrews will retire at the election.
The head of the McPherson Independent Group, Malcolm Edgar, said Dutton’s remarks on the 2030 target would help the campaign after the previously “ambiguous” position from the Liberals about the target.
“It’s great that he’s bringing the conversation to the forefront,” he said.