Amidst a backdrop of dire opinion polls and bitter infighting over net zero emissions, a Liberal backbencher has publicly declared her lack of support for Sussan Ley's leadership. The conservative Victorian senator, Sarah Henderson, expressed her dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs, stating, 'I can't support things the way they are at the moment.' She emphasized the need for improvement, saying, 'I am desperate for us to do better.'
When asked about Ley's ability to turn the situation around, Henderson remained non-committal, responding, 'I don't know.' She further elaborated on her concerns, stating, 'I don't support the way things are, and I am desperate for us to do better. I think there’s increasing concern in our party as to the way we are going … the infighting has been terrible.'
Despite her reservations, Henderson acknowledged that her comments did not constitute an endorsement of Ley. She later reinforced her stance, reiterating that Ley was 'losing support.'
The pressure on Ley's position has intensified further with the Coalition's primary vote slumping to a record-low 24% in the latest Newspoll, just nine points ahead of Pauline Hanson's One Nation. Ley's personal approval rating crashed to minus 33, according to the poll published in The Australian.
Despite these challenges, Ley has insisted her position is safe, and leading conservatives, including Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie, have ruled out a challenge this year. The Liberal party's stance on net zero emissions will be formalised at a meeting of the Liberal shadow ministry in Canberra next Thursday, following a party room meeting to endorse a 'set of principles' on climate and energy.
The shadow energy minister, Dan Tehan, set the stage for the Liberals to abandon the Scott Morrison-era pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2050 in an opinion piece published in the Australian Financial Review. He wrote, 'We urgently need a reset in how we think about energy and emissions reduction, shifting from doomsday narratives towards rational policies that prioritize strategic investment in R&D and innovation.'
The outcome of these internal tensions and the Liberal party's position on net zero emissions will be determined in a series of crunch meetings next week, with a virtual Coalition meeting scheduled for Sunday, November 16.
