Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has rebuked Tony Abbott for threatening to cross the floor of Parliament if any kind of clean energy target was pursued by the Turnbull government.
Mr Abbott spelt out his opposition to the one recommendation of the Finkel energy review that has not been embraced by the Coalition, saying it was "unconscionable for a government that was originally elected promising to abolish the carbon tax and to end Labor's climate obsessions to go further down this renewable path".
"There should be no subsidies for further solar and wind because this is inherently unreliable and, again I say, we've got to move away from all this talk of renewable targets and have a reliable energy target," Mr Abbott told Sky News on Tuesday night.
The former Liberal prime minister said several MPs had "extremely serious reservations" about the government's clean energy target.
"I think there is no chance that our party room will support any significant increase in the amount of renewables in our system," he said.
The clean energy target is a cri de coeur for some MPs within the Coalition, who have been arguing the government must not adopt the 42 per cent target proposed by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel earlier this year.
The Coalition has yet to make its position on the target clear.
In recent weeks the government has focused heavily on energy prices and reliability as it fights Labor and appeals directly to households struggling with higher energy costs.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said last week the clean energy target was "under consideration" but that "we need to make sure that we get the energy market right this time".
Mr Turnbull brushed aside Mr Abbott's threat when asked about it on Wednesday afternoon: "Everyone in the Coalition, of which Mr Abbott is a member, are united on ensuring that Australians have affordable and reliable energy. That is our commitment."
Mr Abbott - who rolled Mr Turnbull for the Liberal Party leadership in 2009 over energy policy - has praised Mr Turnbull's "rhetoric" on energy prices this week but is still pushing the Prime Minister to drop the clean energy target.
Mr Joyce on Wednesday said backbenchers were entitled to have their opinions on policy but warned anyone against crossing the floor - a risky move in a government that has a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives.
Mr Joyce has crossed the floor several times in his political career but not since Mr Turnbull has been Prime Minister.
"Tony Abbott has been prime minister of Australia, which is an incredible honour. His photo is on the wall. Forevermore in history he will be known as [a] prime minister of this nation. I don't think a former prime minister is going to move to put a Labor government into power," Mr Joyce told Sky News.
"I think that no matter what sort of statements have been made they know full well the best form of government is one where people actually understand business are operating the show. I don't think anybody in regional NSW is going to be particularly happy if we lose the inland rail, lose the dams portfolio, lose decentralisation, lose - possibly - the live cattle trade."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten pounced on Mr Abbott's comments.
"Mr Abbott is determined to make Mr Turnbull's life hell, it would appear. Mr Turnbull spends all his time trying to keep the divisions in the Liberal Party under control. In the meantime, the rest of Australia's got to deal with an energy crisis," he said.
"How on earth can we get downward pressure on energy prices? How can we protect jobs and manufacturing like at this business and many other businesses around Australia, when all Mr Abbott and Mr Turnbull want to do is fight each other? The longer they keep fighting each other, the higher our prices go for energy and the greater risk there is to Australians' job security."
