Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Tangney for his question and acknowledge his deep commitment to getting better energy policy across the country and ensuring the lights stay on. The Prime Minister has laid out a clear plan for our energy policy—first and foremost, energy security, and energy affordability as we transition to a lower emissions future and taking the ideology out of the policy. We understand that renewables are an important part of the energy mix. In fact, just 18 months ago there was bipartisan support for a renewable energy target, which the member for Port Adelaide said would restore investor confidence. But you cannot have increased renewables without increased storage. That is why this government is prioritising storage projects, why the Prime Minister has outlined our emphasis on pumped hydro and why we have directed ARENA and the CEFC to invest in these projects. More than $100 million has been flowing to storage projects like a project in South Australia which is linking 1,000 homes and businesses with batteries and solar PV to create a virtual power plant, and like the work that we are doing with the ANU to map out future sites for pumped hydro across the country.

I am asked if I am aware of any alternative approaches. Well, we know that the Labor states of South Australia and Queensland have 50 per cent renewable targets, and we know that Victoria has a 40 per cent target, and we know that the Leader of the Opposition wants to take this madness national with his 50 per cent target. But we also know that when they were rushing last week, after the blackout in South Australia, to blame the operator, they all started to trip over themselves. The member for Sydney, who struggles to get a question up here, put out a tweet during question time asking me to turn on the gas in South Australia. I thought to myself, 'Maybe she did not listen to the member for Wakefield earlier that day, when you thought the federal government could provide the answer,' because this is what the member for Wakefield said on Sky News:

… as I understand it, the Federal Government has no powers to direct the Australian Energy Market to do—

See this speech in context