Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Now you are all keen for coal fired power, is that right? You are all keen. You all like coal, is that right? Are you all for it? Well you have to be, because whatever you have in wind has to be backed up by some form of fossil fuel.

The problem is, as I think the member for Shortland said, no-one will finance a new coal fired power station in this nation. That is true, and the reason for that is because that mob on the other side have this mad insanity of a 50 per cent renewable energy target. Anyone that is going to invest knows that they will have to get a return on that coal fired power station over 30 or 40 years. They know that there is a political risk. The political risk is that the reckless incompetents on that side of the House may actually come to government one time in the next 30 or 40 years and inflict their policies of closing down coal fired power in this nation. That is why we are not getting the investment and that is why we have an energy crisis in this country. If we have a crisis today, what about next year? Next year we are closing down—with the cheers of all the Labor members and the Greens—Hazelwood power station in Victoria. It is being closed down. I know that most of you secretly cheer that. That is 20 per cent of Victoria's—

Opposition members interjecting—

Well stand up in this parliament and say you support Hazelwood being kept open. Come on, stand up in this parliament and say, 'Keep Hazelwood open.' No, they will not say it. They want to see it close down. They will be cheering when it closes down. That is 20 per cent of Victoria's power. What will happen next year if we have similar weather conditions to those we have had this year? We will not just have the population that we have today, we will have to find power for another 330,000 people in this nation to have air conditioning, refrigeration and stoves to cook on. They will need power. So the power demands in this nation will be higher and we will have less power. We have got to get more coal fired power stations. I call on all members: if you are really concerned about jobs, if you are really concerned about prosperity then abandon that 50 per cent renewable energy target. Because that is what is needed if we are going to bring stability back to the electricity supplies of this country. (Time expired)

See this speech in context