Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the motion put by the member for Dawson. I want to point out a few things up front. There seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding. Calling coal 'clean' does not make it so. There is still the physics associated with burning coal. At best, you are only going to get to about 80 per cent efficiency, even if you put the words 'ultra-supercritical' in front of it. The members opposite need to remember that.

The member for Dawson's motion—what a cheek! This is a guy who came into parliament promising a $500 power bill cut and then puts a motion slamming power price rises in Queensland. We know that his government failed to put in place an emissions intensity scheme, which industry says would put downward pressure on power prices. In fact, just this morning the energy minister again confirmed that the Turnbull government will not be imposing an emissions intensity scheme on the power sector—an emissions intensity scheme that would send a positive signal to investors encouraging them to renew the ageing electricity infrastructure, especially in North Queensland. This is supported by the experts. They say it will cut electricity costs by up to $15 billion and will support new investment. The coalition government is about to start its fifth year in government. Under them, wholesale prices have doubled since they took office—not just in Queensland, but across the net. They can try to duck and weave, but they are ultimately responsible for these price hikes that are affecting individual customers and businesses.

The member for Dawson's motion says:

…there should be a coal fired power station built in North Queensland.

I point out to the member for Dawson there is no law preventing a coal-fired power station being built in North Queensland. You can go ahead and build it right now, if the market decides so. If the numbers stack up, investors will line up to build it. But clearly the numbers do not stack up. We had his LNP senator, Senator Canavan—I remember in his first speech Senator Canavan pointed out that he used to be a communist. We see him, the minister for resources, comrade Canavan, demanding that Australians boycott Westpac Bank because they made a commercial decision not to invest in a coalmine. This is unbelievable! The member for Dawson and comrade Canavan suggesting that the federal government should step in and now own coalmines and build coal-fired power stations. That is what he is suggesting. Maybe he is a sort of Manchurian candidate trying to change the system from within. It is unbelievable. It is a shame you were not so sympathetic when it came to the automotive industry, when they were struggling. You were not so keen to nationalise the means of production for the Holden workers in Elizabeth or down in Victoria. It is a weird thing.

The facts are that the Turnbull government has failed to deliver affordable, reliable clean energy. You have failed to have a vision to better integrate renewables into the grid. As we have heard from previous speakers, coal consumption worldwide is decreasing. We know that. But Australian households, communities and businesses are paying more because this government has not taken advantage of the latest electricity technology, especially in battery storage.

The member for Dawson should understand that. He knows that in his electorate there is great work being done in renewable energy. The Palaszczuk government has supported the establishment of a large-scale renewable industry, after Campbell Newman and Tim Nicholls shut it down. In particular, since January 2016 there has been massive investment in North Queensland. We see the commitment of over 1,000 megawatts of new large-scale renewable energy projects, most in regional Queensland. Even in Dawson we see 42 megawatts at Collinsville and 58 megawatts—

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