The Queensland Liberal National Party

The Queensland Liberal National Party (LNP) is the second of the two dominant political parties in Queensland, Australia, alongside the Queensland division of the Australian Labor Party. David Crisafulli is the current leader of the party, having taken over from Deb Frecklingtoon who stood down following the party’s loss at 2020 state election.

Energy & Emissions Policies

In July of 2022, Mr. Crisafulli announced at the party’s annual convention that the Queensland LNP would be adopting a net zero emissions target by 2050. Speaking to media, Mr. Crisafulli stated:

“The question now is how do we do it? How do we do it to make ourselves have energy that is affordable, reliable and sustainable? How do we make sure that we don’t just talk about targets that we actually achieve energy reduction?”

The Queensland Labor Party announced a net zero emissions target by 2050 in the lead up to the 2020 state election and already had a commitment to cut emissions from 2005 levels by 30% by 2030. The Queensland LNP, at the time, rejected Labor’s net zero target and instead suggested aligning the targets to that of the federal coalition government.

Queensland Labor’s Mark Bailey had previously accused the Federal Liberal National Party government of “crab walking” towards action on climate change. The Queensland LNP had also committed to reduce emissions below 2005 levels by 2030 but only by 26 to 28%.

In June of 2023, in response to the state government’s budget, Mr. Crisafulli also stated that, if elected, the Queensland Liberal National Party would address the Queensland government’s “obsession” with consulting firms and accused the Palaszczuk government of hiding behind an “ever-growing wall of consultant reports to justify blowout after blowout” of government projects.

Sources & Further Reading

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jul/10/queensland-lnp-pledges-net-zero-2050-target-at-next-election-amid-deeply-troubling-rise-in-emissions

https://www.lnp.org.au/our-team/state/

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/lnp-elects-new-leader-and-deputy-while-recount-starts-in-two-seats-20201112-p56dyw.html

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/mackay/business/cracks-show-in-the-queensland-lnp-over-coal-royalties/news-story/29aacb475ae1820571a16b1ef6a91670

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/15/lnp-vows-to-cut-queenslands-use-of-consultants-if-it-wins-power-at-2024-state-election

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/qld-politics/opposition-leader-david-crisafulli-wont-confirm-whether-he-will-continue-the-states-coal-royalty-regime/news-story/88aae176e69d6a5435b39c85626a8405

https://www.4bc.com.au/david-crisafulli-backs-progressive-coal-royalties/