Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The government is taking Australian for fools. Labor is spinning this utopian dream to Aussies about how renewables will solve their energy problems. The government has failed to instil public confidence that it understands the issue or has a plan to address it. The longer they carry on like this, the more this will turn into a crisis. The government must relent on their renewable pipedream before it is too late for Australia and we end up in a situation where only rich people can afford to cook their food, heat their homes, and turn on their air conditioner. The Labor spin doctors will also tell you: 'Get used to it. Get used to the rising cost of living. Energy prices are going up, and it's just what it is.' But this is on the back of those opposite getting elected on a promise to the Australian people of a cut of $275 to their power bills.

Now, this wasn't just a slip of the tongue. This was mentioned to the Australian people 97 times, but what's happened? In the last two weeks, they brought down a budget that shows that power prices will increase by 56 per cent. Those are not our words; they are their words in the budget. This prompted a call from one of my constituents, who manages and owns a cool-store facility. His business model is that he picks up fruit and veggies from the farm, takes it to the cool store, cools it down and then distributes it to the shops. His biggest input costs are electricity and fuel. Both of these have skyrocketed under Labor's watch. A 56 per cent increase in electricity will send him to the wall. He said to me: 'Andrew, what can I do? I can't afford it. I can't afford to absorb those costs, and my customers can't afford to pay any more. What do I do?' I said: 'Well, we need a plan. I'm not in government, so all I can do is raise these issues with the current government.'

You have to have a plan. Energy options need to be all of that: hydro, wind, solar, coal, gas—and we need to be having the conversation about nuclear. It is way, way too early and too premature to shut down all the coal and gas. We also need some certainty for the coal- and gas-fired power stations so they can keep doing their maintenance. We need power that is reliable and affordable 24/7.

I have solar at my house. I've got a 15-kilowatt system. The most puts out is 14 kilowatts, and that's in the middle of the day. But I know what happens at night-time: it produces zero. And, in the middle of the day, when it is producing 14 kilowatts and the cloud comes over or it rains, it produces very little as well. Wind is similar; it's the same model. It is unreliable and intermittent. When the wind doesn't blow, it doesn't generate electricity. This is the model that the Labor Party is pushing. They are doubling down on unreliable and intermittent electricity. That is like me going out for dinner, going to a restaurant and having the worst feed I have had in my life, turning up the next night, taking my missus there as well, ordering twice as much, and expecting a different result. I can't believe it. Talk about doubling down.

I listened to a flood victim this morning. She was devastated because she hasn't got electricity and gas delivered to her place. Get ready, Australia, because under these guys' watch that's going to be a daily occurrence. I am genuinely concerned that this government does not have a plan to manage the skyrocketing energy prices. It is a bleak future, and they have no regard for the real impacts on all our lives. We are entering uncharted territory here. It's not fun and games; it's unrealistic and it is plain foolish. If this government doesn't change track soon, we are all going to end up in a very dark place.

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