Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
Politics
Andrew Brown

Nuclear policy fate still unclear after coalition talks

The Liberals and Nationals are negotiating a coalition agreement under opposition leader Sussan Ley. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)

The future of the coalition's nuclear policy remains up for debate as Opposition Leader Sussan Ley negotiates a coalition agreement with the Nationals.

Ms Ley met with Nationals leader David Littleproud at her home in Albury on Thursday for the first of several meetings about the coalition's partnership.

The coalition agreement is negotiated after every election and determines policy positions taken by the parties, as well as how the frontbench responsibilities are split up.

Nationals leader David Littleproud
Nationals leader David Littleproud has met with new opposition leader Sussan Ley in Albury. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)

Ms Ley said a decision had not been reached on whether the coalition ditches the contentious nuclear policy it took to the last election, which would have built seven reactors by the mid-2030s across five states.

"Nothing has been adopted, there are many different interests that people have when it comes to policy," she told Nine's Today program on Friday.

"What I made very clear early on was that my approach would be a consultative one. Nothing would be adopted into policy, in a sense, nothing would be abandoned. We would work together to meet the Australian people where they are."

The discussions on Thursday are only the first of multiple meetings between the two coalition parties as they finalise their positions.

The meeting was held in Albury as Ms Ley has been with her mother, who is in end-of-life care in the NSW town.

Peter Dutton, Sussan Ley and Michaelia Cash
Sussan Ley says her elevation to the leadership is about more than being the first female. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)

The opposition leader said she would bring a different style of leadership than her predecessor Peter Dutton, who lost his own seat at the federal election.

She said there was more to her elevation than just being the first female Liberal leader.

"People reflect on the female aspects, and I understand that, and I want to say it's significant, but my appointment is about much more than that," she said.

"We didn't meet the expectations of the Australian people at the last election. We have to change. We have to step up."

Power station
Some push for dumping net-zero commitments as the Nationals press for a bigger say in the coalition. (Diego Fedele/AAP PHOTOS)

Following the election result, the Nationals have been pushing for a bigger say within the coalition, with some in the party urging to dump commitments for net-zero emissions by 2050.

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie said net-zero targets would have an impact on regional areas.

"Our job is to mitigate and make sure that our communities aren't bearing the brunt, the negative impact of those decisions," she told Sky News.

"Our party has been very clear that we have always had concerns about how net zero will impact those of us that live in rural and regional communities."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.