Fractures within the Labor Party over energy and climate policy have further split in the wake of the government’s proposal for a gas-led economic recovery.

Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon’s defense of the government’s plan and its advantages for the manufacturing sector attracted criticism from his colleagues, including fellow frontbencher Mark Dreyfus who called him “the idiot for Hunter”.

Mr Fitzgibbon told Deborah Knight he’s treating the barb as a “badge of honour”.

“In my experience, if Mark Dreyfus is criticising you, you’re probably on the right track.

“I’ll continue to argue the case on behalf of my constituents, and all those blue collar workers who know … gas is not just used importantly as a generator of electricity.”

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