The Liberal party’s betrayal of younger voters on net zero isn’t just a moral failure – it’s electoral stupidity

The opposition leader, Sussan Ley. Intifar Chowdhury writes that the Liberal party ‘seems hellbent’ on irrelevance among the growing number of voters demanding stronger action on climate change. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

The 2025 election defeat should have been a wake-up call for the Liberal party on the issue of climate and young people, yet it it seems like the message is still not getting across.

As it meets today to determine the future of its net zero policy, the party seems hellbent on accelerating itself further towards irrelevance among the growing cohort of voters demanding stronger action on climate change.