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Labor MP Tania Lawrence has mocked the Coalition by recalling a famous stunt performed by former prime minister Scott Morrison. In a speech on renewable electricity, the Member for Hasluck held up a solar panel as she mimicked Morrison's 2017 performance, when he brandished a lump of coal on the Parliament floor. 'This is coal. Don't be afraid. Don't be scared.' Morrison said at the time. Lawrence's version meanwhile flipped the script. 'Don't be afraid, don't be scared, it won't hurt you. It's solar,' she said. 'It's solar, built and installed by hardworking Australians.' However, it wasn't long before she was ordered by speaker Milton Dick to remove the prop or risk being booted from the chamber. With her point made, Lawrence ditched the item and went on to spruik the government's renewables plan. The speech was peppered with jabs at the Opposition, accusing the Coalition of being 'stuck in the dark' and suffering from 'solar phobia.' 'Solar and other renewables are creating jobs,' she told Parliament. 'It's rewiring the nation, maintaining our energy competitive advantage for the century ahead.' 'While the Coalition is afraid of progress, Australians are getting on with it, putting solar on our roofs, batteries in our homes, and savings back in our pockets,' Lawrence said. Her remarks come as Labor ramps up its energy transition agenda. This includes a plan to make 100,000 home batteries cheaper and expand the 'Rewiring the Nation' program, which Labor claims will modernise Australia's electricity grid. 'Under Labor we are delivering cleaner, cheaper, Australian-made energy,' Lawrence said. 'Built by Aussie workers, backed by Aussie resources, empowering our economy now and into the future.' The Coalition meanwhile is battling deep internal divisions over its climate policy, particularly the commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. A group of Opposition backbench MPs is expected to meet on Friday to debate the party's position, as pressure builds on Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to finalise the Coalition's vague stance on net zero. Former Deputy Prime Minister and outspoken Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has cited his opposition to the emission target as the reason he will not recontest his seat of New England for the Nationals. Joyce said the National Party's support for the policy was something he 'could not be a part of.' 'It is merely a windfall gain for the super affluent few at the expense of others for no climate effect at all,' Joyce said. Other Liberal MPs, including leadership contender Andrew Hastie, as well as Jacinta Nampijinpa Price have also voiced their dissatisfaction with net zero, urging the party to officially oppose the policy.
