Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Whiteaker. Our government's position on protecting the environment by investing in cheap and green renewable energy is clear. But what isn't clear is the coalition's position on this matter, because we've now got this incredible situation where the leader of the coalition in the House of Reps is supportive of net zero, but the leader of the coalition in the Senate is not. This week we've learned that even the coalition Senate team are deeply divided on net zero. We've seen Senator Cash and Senator Canavan on a unity ticket, fighting net zero. But, last night, Senator Sharma went where few moderates dare to go, 'Sky after dark', to say, 'We need to certainly listen to the voices in the party room, but we also need to remember that we've lost a lot of people from this room, and they're the seats we need to win.' Imagine that—a coalition member who thinks it's actually worth listening to the millions of Australians who support net zero! Senator Sharma, it must be a very lonely place over there in that party room at the moment, because, whether it's climate, education or housing, the divisions run deep in the Liberal Party, as Senator Cash tries to tear Sussan Ley down. (Time expired)