Zempilas warns ‘only a mug’ would ignore net zero link to Liberal election losses

West Australian Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas has warned his federal Liberal colleagues against abandoning net zero aspirations, saying “only mugs” would ignore the lessons from two heavy election defeats in the west and their link to climate action.

Speaking to Radio 6PR, Zempilas gave his strongest support yet of retaining a net zero policy – while adding the caveat that it should not come at any cost.

The comments come as the national Liberals grapple with their support of a policy for net zero emissions by 2050, and again put Zempilas at odds with other WA Liberal stalwarts, including Canning MP and potential future party leader Andrew Hastie.

“I’m also a very firm believer that phrase, those two words ... for a lot of people have come to mean being kind to the environment, recycling more, less emissions going into the atmosphere, and so to turn your back on it completely would not be smart and would not be sensible,” Zempilas said.

“It would especially not be smart or sensible for somebody in my position, having witnessed the two election results that I witnessed earlier this year, only a mug– only a mug – would not heed the lessons of two elections back-to-back.

“To walk away, to suddenly decide, ‘Oh, I know best. Don’t worry about what the election results said. I know best, the people might have voted one way, but actually that’s not what they really mean, or that’s not really what they think’.

“We just had two elections back-to-back. Now, if there are people who can assess things differently to me or better than me, well, fair play to them. But I know what I saw. I know what I saw in those elections.”

The federal Liberals look set to drop net zero from their climate policy in the next few weeks after the Nationals did the same.

Several high-profile Liberals, including Hastie and Fairfax MP Ted O’Brien, have publicly revoked their support for net zero, while moderates are urging leader Sussan Ley to stick with the policy over fears of what it would do to the party’s tanking vote in cities.

Zempilas has clashed with Hastie in the past over net zero after declaring his support for the policy on the sidelines of the WA Liberals’ state conference in July, following Hastie’s successful motion urging the federal party to scrap the target.

Zempilas, whose state seat of Churchlands sits wholly within independent Kate Chaney’s federal seat of Curtin, is acutely aware of the importance climate action is to his constituents.

He only narrowly scraped into his seat by 636 votes at the March state election, while a teal-styled independent Lisa Thornton secured a surprise 14 per cent of the primary vote.

Zempilas’ parliamentary colleagues, the WA Nationals, are considering their position on net zero following their federal counterparts’ decision.

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