Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency) Share this | Hansard source

What Mr Lazberger is saying on behalf of this investors group is that the issue of a carbon price needs resolution so that proper analysis of competing investment proposals can be carried out by major investors in our economy. A lack of a carbon price leads to investment in Australia becoming more expensive than it need be because risk has to be factored in. Households, of course, can also benefit significantly from measures the government is taking on climate change and, specifically, in the area of energy efficiency. By improving energy efficiency, families will be able to save money on their bills and achieve an outcome on the environment.

Following the release earlier this month of the report of the Prime Minister’s task group on energy efficiency, the government will now engage with key stakeholders, including state and territory governments, to discuss how to take the next step forward to drive significant improvements in energy efficiency in our electricity systems, including at the domestic level. The fact is that there is one large obstacle here to making these important reforms and, in particular, on the issue of a carbon price. It is represented by the Leader of the Opposition. We have come to a position where the Leader of the Liberal Party, the Leader of the Opposition, is standing in the way of a critical economic reform that is supported by the business community, supported by major investors, and the Leader of the Opposition—

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