Nationals 2016 contender Marty Corboy seconded an urgency motion on the topic at his party’s national conference in Canberra at the weekend.

It called on the federal government to “to reject the Finkel proposed clean energy target of 42 per cent of renewable energy by 2030”. 

The motion tailed another seeking “a subsidy reduction program that will remove all renewable energy subsidies over a five-year period”.

Mr Corboy said with potentially $55 billion in subsidies by 2030 “we’re not seeing bang for our buck on energy”.

“You can only jam so much money into something that’s proven not to be reliable, people want something that is 100 per cent reliable,” he said.

“Up until now the gouging from this has been a disgrace.”

Asked about the argument there were environmental benefits in investing in renewables, Mr Corboy said “absolute poppycock”.

“There are a thousand coal-powered power stations being built around the world today and they’re all using that technology of low emissions and high efficiency,” he said.

“We’ve got 500 years of coal in Gippsland and we should have a power station down there.”

Meanwhile, the Nationals passed a motion calling for four-year terms federally.

Albury Nationals member Lindsay Cutler backed the move, saying it allowed for “four years of good solid government” without going into election mode as quickly.

Mr Corboy sought to have fixed three-year terms.