<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Senior Liberal MP Tim Wilson has hit out at the prime minister for forcing parliament to sit on Melbourne Cup day, while at the same time making an unusual comment hinting at his own leadership ambitions.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a tongue-in-cheek post on Facebook yesterday afternoon, Wilson called Anthony Albanese a "philestine" for scheduling a parliamentary sitting day on the first Tuesday of November.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Our philistine prime minister is forcing parliament to sit on Tuesday, defying Melbourne's traditions and way of life," the member for Goldstein wrote.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/hearing-date-for-abuser-accused-of-harassing-grace-tame/cd596a6c-9dbe-4fb6-87e4-ea082b34fbed"><strong><span>Hearing to probe whether Grace Tame's abuser is fit to face harassment allegations</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The House of Representatives has a grand total of 40 sitting days this year – far less than the long-term average of 67, in part because of the election in May.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While Melbourne Cup day is a public holiday in Victoria, it's a regular working day in the other seven states and territories.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Wilson said, though, that he would never have a sitting day clash if he were to become prime minister.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/tim-wilson-parliament-melbourne-cup-day/bb01c807-f5b9-4348-bb88-d7848380b5a9" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I make this commitment: this will never happen under a Wilson government," he wrote.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The comment comes with Sussan Ley facing renewed speculation about her future as opposition leader.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/weather-forecast-victoria-melboune-cup/8cff542d-a3bb-4e70-8638-492dcec08faa"><strong><span>Showers dampen Melbourne long weekend with wet weather forecast for Cup day</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5), 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px auto;max-width:440px;padding:0;width:99.375%"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DQirrVAkxi9/"></a></blockquote></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Hours before Wilson's comment, the Nationals agreed to dump any commitment to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, raising the possibility of another split within the Coalition.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ley, who has ordered a review of the Liberal Party's climate policy – which is yet to be finalised – in the wake of its crushing election defeat, said this morning that the junior Coalition partner was entitled to come up with its own emissions stance.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I always said that the Nationals would come to their decision in their party room and the Liberals would similarly come to our decision in our party room," she said. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"But our joint energy working group has done an incredibly sound job up until this point in time, it's continuing, and we can look forward to a Liberal Party energy position and then coming together as a Coalition."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/liberal-party-support-slumps-to-40-year-low-in-news-poll/678399f6-e08c-47a5-8477-e1b488963383"><strong><span>Voters deserting Liberals as support for One Nation surges</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She added that she and Nationals leader David Littleproud had a "convivial" conversation yesterday following the decision to dump net zero.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Meanwhile, there are now reports of a number of senior Liberal figures – including some of Ley's backers – pushing for the party to follow its junior party's footsteps.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That comes after new </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/liberal-party-support-slumps-to-40-year-low-in-news-poll/678399f6-e08c-47a5-8477-e1b488963383" rel="" target="" title="Newspoll figures, published in The Australian last night, which showed the Coalition's primary vote has collapsed to a record low of 24 per cent"><span>Newspoll figures, published in </span><em><span>The Australian</span></em><span> last night, which showed the Coalition's primary vote has collapsed to a record low of 24 per cent</span></a><span>, while Ley's own approval rating is at a disastrous minus 33 per cent.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ley only became opposition leader in May following a narrow Liberal leadership contest win over Angus Taylor.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Wilson, who defeated independent Zoe Daniel at the election to claim back the Melbourne seat of Goldstein and re-enter parliament, had </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/liberals-to-vote-for-new-leader-as-tim-wilson-weighs-up-challenge/bb67be78-60a3-405b-b193-8966626fb368"><span>considered making a tilt at the Liberal leadership</span></a><span> before withdrawing from the contest.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><strong><span>Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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