WA political landscape turned on its head as Liberals outline renewable energy policy – ABC News

One major party is making the case that renewables are the way of the future, the other is warning they will cripple jobs and send power prices skyrocketing.

By that sentiment alone, it is politics as usual in Australia for the past decade.

Except in this case, it is the WA Liberal Party calling for coal to be tossed aside and wind and solar to take its place, with Labor blasting the idea as "reckless".

It comes hot on the heels of Labor lambasting a Fremantle homeless camp as organised by "anarchists", while the Liberals pleaded for more to be done to help the people there.

Still over a month from the election, the West Australian political landscape appears to have been turned on its head.

But even with it coming somewhat out of left field, given some prominent federal Liberals have spent years campaigning against action on climate change or green energy, few would dispute that Zak Kirkup's biggest policy announcement yet isn't lacking in political bravery.

The politics of carbon have played significant roles in the downfall of three prime ministers and caused almighty headaches for governments of both political persuasions across the country for the best part of two decades.

If the WA Liberal leader had steered clear of the debate between now and the March 13 state election, it is likely that few eyebrows would have been raised.

Instead, he has taken a stand that would dramatically upend the WA energy space.

Coal-fired power stations would close within four years and the state would lean heavily on renewables for its energy needs within a decade.

Energy production in WA would reach zero emissions by 2030 under the plan, which banks heavily on a $3 billion Mid West renewable energy project the Liberals say would be developed by the private sector.

But, in politics, there can be a big difference between being brave and making the right call.

And it is a decision some of his Liberal colleagues are deeply fearful will prove to be a damaging one.

"I wouldn't know where to begin defending it," one MP admitted.

"The intent is laudable but there is a lot of detail. And with detail comes risk."

One of the party's most senior MPs is also understood to have made it widely known to colleagues that they were bewildered by the policy.

And, of course, that is before you even get to the attack from Labor which was sharpening its knives within minutes.

"All it would mean is many many billions of extra debt, huge increases in family power bills, rolling blackouts across the state and huge job losses," Premier Mark McGowan said of the Liberal policy.

"Everyone should be very fearful about what they have just put forward."

Labor argues the policy has an unrealistic timeframe and would cost billions, instead of the more modest $400 million estimated by the Liberals.

Plus, Mr Kirkup finds himself at odds with a Federal Liberal Government that still sees coal playing a key role in energy for decades to come.

And there is the impact on Collie as well a town hugely reliant on coal, with the Liberals hoping to soften the blow with a $100 million transition fund.

But Mr Kirkup isn't shying away from the boldness of the plan, repeatedly comparing his vision to that of Charles Court and the North West Shelf.

"We have always been a state to forge a path when others think it is an impossibility," Mr Kirkup said.

"We have always been a state that takes the giant leaps."

Given where the Liberals are in the election race, strategists on both sides of the race thought the Opposition needed to take a "giant leap" or two to have any chance of getting back in the fight.

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Public polling has been next to non-existent, but at least one private poll has put Labor's two-party preferred lead at 61 per cent to 39 per cent.

That would be a swing against the Liberals of 5.5 per cent and wipe out Mr Kirkup's own seat of Dawesville plus Hillarys, Darling Range and Riverton if there was a uniform swing.

If that eventuated, the Liberals would hold just nine out of 59 seats in the Legislative Assembly.

Making a noticeable dent in such a large deficit was never likely to happen without doing something bold.

But Mr Kirkup will face a battle to convince voters his green energy plan will not drive up power prices or lead to blackouts.

After all, that is an argument multiple Prime Ministers before Scott Morrison have tried to prosecute without living to tell the tale.

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WA political landscape turned on its head as Liberals outline renewable energy policy - ABC News