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

The Labor Party should know that when, in Victoria, they tripled the coal royalties and oversaw the closure of Hazelwood, the people of Victoria saw their wholesale prices increase by 80 per cent. The Labor Party should know that when Jay Weatherill oversaw the closure of Northern Power Station, the people of South Australia saw their wholesale prices go up by another 80 per cent. They told him what they thought of it at the state election.

When it comes to coal, under the National Energy Guarantee, it will continue to be an important part of the energy mix. I say to the member for Batman, don't believe the Leader of the Opposition when he comes down and tells the baristas in the member's seat that coal has no future in Australia, because when he goes to Mackay and speaks to the miners, he says coal has a future. We all know that the Labor Party is not up-front with the workers. They've abandoned the blue-collar workers. When will they go down to the seat of Gippsland and tell the 300-plus workers at Yallourn Power Station that they won't have a job under Labor's policy? When will they go to the electorate of Flynn and tell those 230 workers at Gladstone Power Station that, under Labor's policy, they won't have a job? When will they go to the member for Shortland's electorate and tell the 300 workers at Vales Point that, under Labor's policy, they will not have a job?

When it comes to the Labor Party's policy, we know they won't listen to business. We know the Leader of the Opposition no longer listens to BHP, no longer listens to BlueScope and no longer listens to the Business Council of Australia, but now he doesn't even listen to the unions. Ben Davis, the Victorian secretary of the AWU, his former union—and the Leader of the Opposition should listen carefully—said:

… the rush away from coal … is … unseemly in its haste because we are potentially crucifying hundreds of thousands of manufacturing workers.

That's the Leader of the Opposition's own union. Then the CFMEU President, Tony Maher, said:

[A] … Renewable Energy Target of 50% by 2030—

Labor's own policy—

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