Finance Minister Simon Birmingham has declared it is crucial to strive towards achieving net zero carbon emissions.
"We've made it very clear that we would like to see that achieved by 2050," Senator Birmingham told Sky News on Monday.
"It's crucial, not just in terms of tackling climate change but in terms of positioning Australia's economy for the future."
The focus now is on how Australia gets there.
But Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese says there are still too many people in the Liberal and National parties who don't accept the climate science and are hampering progress.
"There's no commitment. There's no position," Mr Albanese told ABC radio.
"The chaos will continue. And the failure to adopt any target and join the world."
Mr Albanese declined to commit Labor to a medium-term target to kick-start efforts.
Senator Birmingham said after success with traditional sources, Scott Morrison wanted to see Australia play a big role in the new energy space, including hydrogen.
During last week's trip to Europe for the G7 summit, the prime minister signed hydrogen deals with Germany and Singapore to position Australia as a key exporter.
He also signed a decarbonisation agreement with Japan, which already invests in hydrogen in Australia's north.
In his absence, there have been policy tensions with the junior coalition partner, the Nationals.
But Nationals frontbencher Darren Chester wants the party to remain in the policy tent on climate and energy.
"As regional Australians, we are very much at the absolute pointy end of government policy around emissions reduction," Mr Chester told reporters in Canberra.
Agricultural production and manufacturing could face increased costs, and transport costs are a large part of regional household and small business budgets.
"They're all big factors in any policy decision that increases costs in relation to emissions reduction activity," Mr Chester said.
"We don't want to be ruling ourselves out of the conversation because there could be benefits as well, things like carbon sequestration in soils, things like technology breakthrough in vehicles, all these things could benefit our regional communities."
He said the Nationals supported the coalition government's climate approach of technology rather than taxes.
However, some members of the Nationals are not happy with the direction being taken by the government or their leader Michael McCormack.
