NATION PM will take on energy ‘ fossils’

MALCOLM Turnbull won’t be fazed by a new group within the Coalition agitating for coal- fired power, saying he has party room support for his national energy guarantee.

Liberal MP Craig Kelly is part of the new “Monash Forum”, which is said to have more than 20 Government members including outspoken former prime minister Tony Abbott and Nationals MPs George Christensen and Barnaby Joyce.

The new forum is named after World War I military commander ( Sir) John Monash, who was a key figure in opening Victoria’s Latrobe Valley up to coal production.

Mr Kelly says they are worried about the high cost of electricity and want to see new coal- fired power stations in any national energy guarantee.

Mr Turnbull told reporters in Brisbane yesterday the policy put a premium on “dispatchability”, which could be delivered by coal, gas, pumped hydro or other technologies.

“I can only say to you that our national energy guarantee has been endorsed by the whole Coalition party room,” he said.

“It’s got strong support from industry and state jurisdictions ... it’s vitally important that it be adopted because what we need is a technology- agnostic energy policy that encourages investment.”

Mr Turnbull said the bottom line was to have a policy which delivered affordable and reliable power and met Australia’s emissions targets.

Labor frontbencher Mark Butler said the “fossils” in the hard- right of the Coalition were seeking to test Mr Turnbull’s leadership.

“Given his track record of failing to stand up to the hardright of his party room and caving in on two energy policies, no one should be sur- prised if he caved into the hard- right fossils again,” Mr Butler said.

Mr Kelly said it was “nonsense” to suggest the internal group was aimed at destabilising Mr Turnbull’s leadership, as the Coalition continues to trail Labor in the polls.

“With so much anti- coal rhetoric around in the community we want to ensure that people understand and we’re a voice about how important coal is to our economy,” Mr Kelly told ABC radio.

“Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has my full support,” Mr Kelly added.

Energy ministers will meet in Melbourne on April 20 to discuss the policy.