Nationals still quiet on climate agreement
Senior members of the Nationals are still keeping quiet on what the party agreed to in return for supporting the federal government's plan for net-zero emissions by 2050.
Nationals Deputy Leader David Littleproud said further details of the agreement would be made public in the next 24 hours, despite some party members still criticising the deal.
It came after the Nationals party room on Sunday agreed for a cabinet submission to go forward, ahead of Prime Minister Scott Morrison's attendance at the Glasgow climate summit starting on October 31.
"Now we will work through that in a mature and sensible way to get to the resolution, and tonight that will be ratified," Mr Littleproud told ABC.
"We worked through this calmly and rationally as a party.
"If you're a coal miner today, you will have a job well beyond 2030, well beyond 2050, particularly if carbon capture storage takes off."
Mr Littleproud did not comment on how much the plan would cost taxpayers.
Nationals Leader Barnaby Joyce said on Sunday after a two-hour party meeting he expected there would a "firm commitment to regional Australia" from cabinet.
Mr Joyce declined to say whether the prime minister had agreed during negotiations to give the Nationals an extra cabinet position.
No deal with the Nationals could have been a major embarrassment for Mr Morrison, with climate shaping up as a major issue for voters ahead of the next election.
Despite the Nationals reaching an agreement, some MPs have still publicly criticised the proposal.
Nationals senator Matt Canavan said the deal was bad for the country.
"Net-zero is going to end in tears," he told the Nine Network on Monday.
"I don't think this is the right approach for this country. It's a fantasy to think we can remove all carbon emissions."
Labor leader Anthony Albanese said Mr Morrison was more interested in political survival than a climate policy, noting he had previously described renewable energy targets as "nuts" and lampooned battery storage technology.
Following the Nationals announcement, Mr Albanese tweeted: "We're one week out from Glasgow and Scott Morrison still doesn't have a climate policy."
Mining magnate Andrew Forrest, who has publicly urged the prime minister to commit to net zero, said the deal struck by the Nationals on Sunday was a positive step forward to creating regional jobs.
"I appreciate this has been a difficult issue for some politicians," Mr Forrest said.
"Australia being able to attend COP26 with a net-zero meaningful target will make a difference for the planet, and for how Australia is received at COP26 by the rest of the world."
