By Zac de Silva

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has dismissed suggestions the Nationals are dictating coalition policy after the Liberals followed their lead and ditched net zero by 2050 climate targets.

The Liberals on Thursday unveiled new climate policy that jettisons the party’s commitment to net-zero targets, with more taxpayer money poured into coal and gas power plants.

The party also committed to reduce emissions on average year-on-year, while scrapping legislated targets put in place by the Labor government.

Negotiations over the climate policy will continue over coming days before a joint coalition partyroom meeting on Sunday to determine the final position.

Ms Ley denied policy within the Liberals was being dictated by the junior coalition partner, after they came out earlier in November and scrapped the net-zero target.

“This is all commentary. I’m not interested in commentary. I’m interested in getting out there and fighting for Australians who are hurting badly right now with the declining cost of living,” she told Nine’s Today program on Friday.

“When energy is unaffordable, everything is unaffordable.”

The Liberal policy also reiterates support for removing a moratorium on nuclear energy in Australia.

The coalition took a proposal to May’s federal election of building multiple nuclear power plants to expand the mix of the energy grid.

“Nuclear does make sense, by the way. We’re going to have nuclear-powered submarines in this country,” Ms Ley said.

“We believe in renewables in the right place, but we also believe firmly in affordable energy Australians.”

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said climate deniers had won the battle over policy within the coalition.

“What we saw yesterday was a blaming of contradictory, internally inconsistent statements and claims, all an alibi to avoid action on the greatest environmental challenge and economic opportunity of our time,” he told ABC Radio.

Opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan, who will be among the negotiators with the Nationals, said cheaper power bills was the priority of the policy.

“We are very, very confident that by bringing all of Australia’s natural resources to this equation, that we will be able to put downward pressure on energy,”  he told ABC Radio.

“We’re going back to an approach where the market will determine the types of technologies and the pathways, and that is the traditional liberal approach to addressing these types of issues.”

Mr Tehan dismissed claims the policy would harm the party’s chances of winning back former blue-ribbon Liberal seats in inner-city areas that are now held by teal independents.

“We’re recognising that climate change is real, that we have to do our fair share, but we will do that in a balanced way,” he said.

“People will understand that they don’t want us racing ahead of the rest off the world, costing us manufacturing jobs, costing us industry jobs and putting unrealistic and unreasonable pressures on households.”

Labor and Climate 200, which gives financial support to teal independent candidates, have already sent out fundraising emails off the back of the policy change more than two years out from the next federal election.

“If the Libs want to make fringe views their official policy, community independents will continue to rise and relegate them to the fringes,” Climate 200 executive director Byron Fay wrote.

Former Liberal MP and moderate Fiona Martin said it was a “sad day” for the Liberal party.

“Just because you don’t think you can’t reach a target doesn’t mean you abandon it. The Liberals once led for the future, today they took us backwards,” Ms Martin told AAP.