Nationals MP Warns 24 Percent of Local Jobs Could go Under Net Zero

Federal Member for the country Queensland electorate of Flynn, Colin Boyce, has explained in detail why he backs his party’s newly announced stance on net zero—believing it would leave almost one in four workers in his electorate jobless.

The National Party announed on Nov. 2 that it would officially drop support for net zero emissions by 2050.

Party leader David Littleproud said the Nationals would focus more on “climate adaptation” than solely on emissions reductions, citing the burden on regional economies.

Boyce, who has always opposed net zero, said power prices were soaring, industry was in retreat, and the environment was being degraded in the mission for net zero—something he said risked putting the nation at strategic risk.

“Research by the Institute of Public Affairs has revealed that my electorate of Flynn will be the most impacted in Australia by continuing down the net zero disaster,” he said in a statement provided to The Epoch Times.

“[About] 16,289 jobs, or 24 percent of the workforce, could be out of work, that’s almost one in every four workers in our region who lose out under this policy.

“The impact of net zero is already being felt across our heavy industrial smelters and refineries. Major corporations are demanding billions in government subsidies to remain competitive and stay operational.”

Boyce said it was ironic that it was blue-collar workers, traditionally Labor supporters, who would be the hardest hit by net zero policies.

“In my electorate of Flynn, I’m a proud supporter of our industries. The Port of Gladstone has the fourth-largest coal export terminal in the world. It also has the Curtis Island Gas Terminal, the largest on the East Coast of Australia,” he said.

“This is where we send our gas and our coal, mined in Central Queensland, by train and then onto boats and exported overseas. It goes to countries such as China and India.

“While as a country, we are happy to export it, we don’t want to use it. If it’s good enough for other countries to use, why can’t we use it here?”

Boyce said more than 90 renewables projects had been slated for his electorate, including thousands of wind turbines, millions of solar panels, thousands of shipping container-sized batteries and pumped hydro that would rely on water resources.

On top of that, there are plans for 28,000 kilometres of transmission lines, hundreds of synchronous condensers and substations that will blanket the countryside.

“Hundreds of thousands of acres of land are being cleared to accommodate this intermittent source of energy and its infrastructure,” Boyce said.

“These projects are dividing communities, creating mental health issues, causing enormous environmental damage and turning agricultural land into industrial energy zones.”

Decision Labelled ‘Laughable’

The move has not been without criticism, both from those who are fully committed to net zero and the Liberals who believe in some form of net zero.

Teal MP Nicolette Boele was scathing of the party’s decision.

“As someone who has spent more than 30 years in finance and clean energy, watching the Nationals abandon net zero under the guise of economics would be laughable, if it weren’t so reckless,” she said on X.

Liberal frontbencher Andrew Bragg told reporters in Canberra that his party—despite its alliance with the Nationals—would never fully abandon net zero aspirations.

“You have to have net zero in some form,” he said.

“There’s no doubt that Australia has very serious treaty obligations. We’re a serious country, we’re a trade-exposed nation. We’re not going to walk away from international agreements. Never.”

Bragg said he believed the Liberals would do better with handling net zero targets than Labor. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley vowed last week to do things differently to Labor—though to what degree remains unclear.

Labor MP Dan Repacholi rubbished claims that net zero would impact industry and jobs.

“Net zero isn’t about shutting up shop. It’s about running mines, keeping people in work and reaching net zero through offsets and better technology,” he told media.

Chris Bowen, Labor’s federal climate change and energy minister, said 97 percent of the world’s scientists agreed on the importance of net zero emissions.

“The National Party is betraying future generations but they’re also betraying farmers and people in regional communities who can benefit from this massive transformation,” he told reporters.