Three months after their brief split, Nationals leader David Littleproud is set to explain to the party faithful why the coalition fractured.

Littleproud expects a warm welcome when he takes centrestage at the Liberal National Party annual convention in Brisbane on Saturday.

The Liberals and Nationals realigned following a week-long post-federal election break-up in May when they butted heads over key policies.

Littleproud said he would use his address at the convention in the coalition’s Queensland heartland to set the record straight on the high-profile split.

“I’ll give the members an explanation of what happened and why,” he told AAP.

“We don’t resolve from the fact that we left the coalition, but we’ve set those boundaries and we’re grateful that the Liberal Party reconvened and met all our demands.

“That lays the foundations for us to move forward.”

Members were proud they stood for their principles when the parties briefly split, Littleproud said.

Key policies pertinent to their base needed to be fought for, which was “the beauty of being in the National Party”, he said.

A key pillar of the coalition agreement surrounded energy policy, particularly nuclear power, which the Nationals sought to keep.

Nuclear power and energy alternatives dominated discussion at the convention’s opening day on Friday following a resolution put forward to abandon net zero by 2050.

The resolution seeks to support a flexible emissions reductions framework, deliver low-cost energy through a balanced mix of providers, and lift the prohibition of nuclear energy.

Members urged the wider group to abandon support for net zero, with Senator Matthew Canavan indicating the agenda “is not working”.

“Net zero is an act of national self-harm,” one branch member said.

“It terrifies our children with apocalyptic propaganda,” another told the convention.

The resolution carried nearly unanimously after more than an hour of submissions.

A convention resolution was not binding on the parliamentary party, but Friday’s result should prompt healthy debate in Canberra, Canavan said.

“The fact that we’ve never had that resolution in the joint party room to my mind, has contributed to some of the tension on this issue within the Liberal and National coalition in Canberra,” he told reporters.

“The template is here, we’ve done it very respectfully. I’d encourage my parliamentary leaders to adopt the same approach in allowing a free and open debate in joint party room.”

Australia has committed to net zero under the Paris Agreement that came into force in 2016.

India has a net zero by 2070 target, China by 2060 and the US had a 2050 target under the Biden administration but climate action has been largely scrapped under President Donald Trump.

The 2025 LNP convention will hear some 163 resolutions in open sessions over the convention’s three days, with Queensland Premier David Crisafulli to take centrestage on Sunday.

Former opposition leader Peter Dutton was a surprise appearance at the convention on Friday, earning standing ovations after praise from his successor Sussan Ley and outgoing LNP president Lawrence Springborg.

—AAP