Scott Morrison grilled on major election policy on Sunrise: 'Shut the hell up'
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been grilled on morning television over the Coalition’s mixed messages on climate change.
“How can we trust you?” is how Channel Seven’s David Koch bluntly quizzed Mr Morrison during a fiery interview on Sunrise on Thursday.
His question follows comments from Nationals’ Senator Matt Canavan who told ABC's Afternoon Briefing program that the Coalition’s promise of net zero by 2050 is “dead".
Responding to the question, Mr Morrison said he’s “brought the whole team together” and the opinions of Senator Canavan do not change party policy.
“What are you saying to Matt Canavan: Shut the hell up?,” Koch then responds.
“Well, Matt's always had his view on this. I'm not going to convince Matt about this," the Prime Minister says.
"He's entitled to his view. But his view is not government policy and it's not becoming government policy.”
Climate change key issue this Federal Election
But it’s not just Senator Canavan who appears to be dissenting from the Coalition’s offical climate policy line.
While tackling the issue is key to many voters in marginal inner-city seats like Kooyong and Wentworth this Federal Election, the opposite appears to be true in coal dependent Flynn.
Earlier this week, Nationals candidate Colin Boyce told The Australian net zero by 2050 is “flexible” and “not binding”.
Both Labor and the Coalition have declared they will reach net zero by 2050, and they have also been accused of sending varying messages about climate-change commitments to different electorates.
The Coalition in particular has long resisted introducing significant climate-change policy in Australia, fighting against attempts by former Labor Prime Ministers Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd to introduce carbon reduction schemes.
In 2009, Tony Abbott notably called climate science “absolute crap”, and just five years ago Mr Morrison famously smuggled a lump of coal into parliament, taunting Labor not to be “scared” of it.
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