Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Here we have another unguided missile by those opposite. The very first thing is describing a crisis. They've very conveniently forgotten that it's a crisis that we have inherited as a consequence of their lack of action. They had 22 policies around energy. They landed not a single one. Four gigawatts leaving the grid, with only one gigawatt coming back online to the energy market. What an utter disgrace and the utter contempt you have for every Australian, standing here today trying to point the finger at us for an energy affordability crisis. Those opposite understand the time it takes to land good policy. It took them 10 years and they didn't achieve anything.

Let's look at exactly what we have already embarked upon. Not only is it a case of understanding the affordability of energy, understanding the market as a whole and the cost-of-living pressures generally being experienced by all households. We've done plenty of that already, from tax cuts to cheaper medicines, more affordable child care. We're working hard to look at the whole problem. On energy, we have worked to introduce an energy price relief rebate. But for those opposite who talk about their concern for households being able to afford the bill, what did they do when that bill was before the House? They voted against it, because they actually don't care. They liked the squeeze because it gives them some weird and quite uncomfortable relevance in this place to better argue about something. If they cared they would have supported that rebate that went to five million households and some million small businesses for energy bill relief.

It goes further. It was quite ironic that they not once mentioned nuclear in terms of their own policy. The last speaker, the member for Hinkler, spoke about it in terms of what we said. But it's very cute that not one person yet and—I hope the next speaker proves me wrong—is prepared to talk to their nuclear energy policy as a way of addressing energy affordability. It's quite a joke. They're talking about four or five potential reactors around the country. Even if we take the member for Hinkler's suggestions that our quotes which have come not just from the minister but through government agencies who have done the research with the scientists sitting beside them, even if is it is not correct, that that estimate of around $364 million is accurate, even if we just take the UAEs, around $36 billion and multiply it by four or five, we're looking at $180 billion.

That does not make for an affordable household bill. That's going to be household energy bill 500 per cent higher than what they experience now. They're completely delusional if they think this is a way of addressing today's household cost of living pressures. Instead, we know that industry, businesses, are completely committed to the transition to a renewable energy future. Already we are sitting at around 38 per cent powered by renewable energy. Tasmania is a case in point. The ACT is a case in point. We are inundated with industry talking to us to be able to speak to the appetite to able to jump on board towards a renewable future.

The Clean Energy Council, Boundless Earth, the Heavy Industry Low Carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre, Beyond Zero Emissions, the Australian Hydrogen Council, the Future Batteries Industry, Fortescue green energy—there are so many people, and sitting behind some fantastic industries, businesses and research centres, that are already on board with this. Let's not forget that the Minister for the Environment and Water has already ticked off 45 approvals for renewable energy projects that have all powered 2.5 million homes, and she has another 128 projects in front of her.

We talk about let the market decide. They are deciding, and this is exactly the direction where they see their future, where they see commerciality, and where they see a way of being able to have a win for consumers, for households and for their industry and business. We're backing in that good judgement. We're backing it in by setting the right targets, with our safeguard mechanism, with our ability to be able to enshrine targets that are meaningful, that companies can work towards, and better send a signal that this is a country to invest in because there is surety that this is the path where heading on; we're not backflipping and suddenly dropping what is the absolute sustainable future for this nation.

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