Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The more the member for Flinders interjects, the more he doth protest and the more he doth protest too much. The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme is the second arm of our strategy and the third is our direct investment in renewable energy technologies.

Today it was my privilege to be at the launch of Infigen’s Capital Wind Farm at Bungendore. This will be the largest wind farm in New South Wales. It joins around 50 wind farms already in operation around the nation and it will boost the nation’s wind power capacity by more than 10 per cent. Sixty-seven turbines on this particular wind farm are generating power capable of supplying some 60,000 homes. Capital Wind Farm has helped train the world’s first wind energy apprentices in electrotechnology—wind, electricity, apprentices. I met three of them this morning and they have a fantastic opportunity at this particular project. But looking at this broadly, across the world, what we have is an explosion of renewable energy technology investment. In wind energy itself last year, and more broadly in renewable energy technologies, we saw US$120 billion invested. That was up from $63 billion just two years before. More than 80 countries around the world have now commenced wind farms and the industry around the world is now employing some 400,000 people. This sort of investment will be encouraged in the future by the renewable energy target legislation.

On top of that, of course, we have the introduction of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. As I said to my good friend and colleague the member for Groom, we are engaged and continue to be engaged in good-faith negotiations with himself and with Leader of the Opposition in the House. What is occurring in the Senate does cause us some concern. We know that the Senate yesterday voted against sitting last night on this matter. They voted yesterday against bringing the matter on for debate. But I am informed today that the debate has commenced in the Senate or is about to commence. This is a good thing. But I am still concerned about what is actually happening in the overall ranks of the coalition and Liberal Party room.

There were some reports yesterday that some 10 people opposite stood to their feet and opposed the course of action being embraced in these good-faith negotiations by the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Groom. It was then put out, apparently, that those 10 party room dissenters did not represent a majority view and that more than that spoke in favour. Then again I see a report from one coalition MP instead claiming today in the AdelaideAdvertiser:

“There were no speakers in favour other than Turnbull himself and Macfarlane,” …

Who knows what the truth of all that is? There is an internal problem within the coalition on these matters, but I encourage the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Groom to continue in this debate.

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