Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The coalition, under the leadership of the member for Warringah, was elected four years ago and, during that time, we have seen the carbon tax abolished; we have seen action on energy prices; we've seen action on schools; we've seen action on industrial reforms; and we've seen action on national security.

The failures we saw under Labor government resulted in a 100 per cent increase in energy prices. Most recklessly of all, what we saw under Labor was a rush into renewables without any backup or any storage. The Leader of the Opposition today said, criticised, that the coalition has an ideological objection to renewables. The objection we have is to Labor's stupidity, Labor incompetence, Labor complacency and the stupidity of a party that—despite warnings from the regulators, from the Energy Market Operator, that allowing unrestricted export of gas from the east coast would result in tighter supply and higher prices—did nothing to protect the Australian domestic market. It did nothing at all, and now we are having to take unprecedented measures to restrict exports to defend Australian consumers and businesses that were abandoned by Labor.

But it gets worse: Labor failed to recognise that the wind doesn't blow all the time and the sun doesn't shine all the time—you'd think they might have picked that up!—so had more renewables replacing dispatchable base-load coal-fired power. And what's been the result? There's been a shortage of dispatchable power. So, once again, that failure of policy under the Labor Party, enhanced and amplified by Labor state governments, is being cleaned up by the coalition. We are the ones taking the tough decisions to ensure that Australians have affordable and reliable energy. Across the House is the party of blackouts. That is the party of unaffordable electricity. That is the party that puts manufacturing workers out of jobs. (Time expired)

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