A rogue Liberal MP has doubled down on his threat to quit his frontbench position if the federal party continues to support Australia's climate targets, but admits his views on the issue are "in the minority."
Opposition infighting has reignited in recent days after Western Australian MP Andrew Hastie, seen by some as a future leader, said he'd move to the backbench if the coalition stuck to its policy of net zero emissions by 2050.
Mr Hastie denied quitting the shadow ministry would trigger a challenge for the party's leadership.
"Most of my colleagues, in fact, don't support my position. So I'm in the minority here," he told Sky News on Wednesday.
"I'll serve where I'm serving as home affairs shadow right now, and I'll continue to serve until such a time as I can't.
"But energy policy is something I care about."
Mr Hastie said his relationship with Opposition Leader Sussan Ley was "fine", but added, "we're not besties on the phone every day".
The WA MP also accused colleagues who had criticised his position of having "a severe case of Stockholm syndrome".
In a bid to quell growing divisions over climate policy, Ms Ley will use her first major economic speech as leader to try and shift the political debate away from global warming and toward Labor's economic management.
She'll argue Australians' reliance on the welfare system has "swung too far toward dependency", suggesting the coalition will seek to scale back benefits.
Ms Ley will make the remarks in a speech in Melbourne to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia on Wednesday.
She'll say the right balance will need to be restored between what citizens provide for themselves and what taxpayers provide through a safety net.
"Unfortunately, in the past few years, the pendulum has swung too far toward dependency," she will say.
"It has become almost taboo in politics to suggest that not everyone is entitled to every government benefit."
Ms Ley believes Labor is locking the nation into "permanent" dependency on the government, sending debt soaring to $1.2 trillion and leaving future generations to foot the bill.
In its first term, Labor produced two budget surpluses before a $42 billion deficit in March this year, just prior to the May federal election.
Fuelled by increased spending, including in health and disability services, there is no return to surplus in the forward estimates.
The Liberal leader will also warn that if government spending remains at pandemic or emergency levels during normal periods, Australia will inevitably lose its top-line AAA credit rating.
She will say government spending this year will reach 27 per cent of gross domestic product - the highest level outside of recession since 1986 and up from 24 per cent since Labor came to office.
"We are essentially running a peacetime economy on emergency fiscal settings," she will say.
"That is obviously not sustainable."
But Ms Ley will also say Australia must have a fair social safety net and that, as a "compassionate nation", those who fall on hard times and the vulnerable will always be supported.
"But true compassion is sustainable compassion," she will say.
"A welfare system that attempts to be all things to all people will eventually collapse under its own weight, and that outcome would hurt the most vulnerable most of all.
"If we want to keep the safety net strong, we have to ensure it is financially sustainable and targeted to genuine need."
