Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for North Sydney for—I'm sure in collaboration with her colleagues—submitting this matter of public importance, and it is important. It is worthy of the House's time to discuss the issues that have been raised. I agree with much of what my honourable friends have said in the last 10 minutes or so.

For too long, this country has been bedevilled by an argument, put by some in politics and in media, that action on climate change and action on renewable energy might be a good idea but comes at the cost of the economy. It's always been a myth; it's always been a lie. But it's never been more of a myth and a lie than today. As the cost of renewable energy has fallen and the cost of storage is falling, it is the case that renewable energy is the answer to our challenges, not the cause of them. The member for New England's not too happy with me saying this. He doesn't agree. He's entitled to seek the call to put his case that he doesn't believe that renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy. But, the fact of the matter is, it is. Not only is it the cheapest form of energy, but it is the answer in many senses to the energy trilemma.

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