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

It's important we keep going with the plan to rollout renewables backed by batteries because that's what the experts tell us is the least costly way to transition out our energy system: renewables backed by batteries, backed by gas peaking, backed by storage and transmission. That's what the experts say. Those opposite have a different view. I'm pleased to tell the member for Corangamite and the House that in the first seven months of this year 2.8 gigawatts worth of big batteries have begun construction. That's as big as our largest coal-fired power station, backing up renewable energy and backing up with storage.

Yesterday, the energy company AGL announced investments in batteries of up to eight gigawatts. That's eight gigawatts of investment in batteries by AGL. AGL also said yesterday, in response to questions: 'Nuclear is not part of our plans, nor our strategy … we cannot sit around and wait for nuclear … The rationale for that is both cost and time to get there.' That's important because AGL owns the Liddell site, where those opposite want to put a nuclear power station. The landlord says no. Their policy has failed at the first hurdle.

All we've seen from the opposition is the announcement of seven sites. We've seen no further detail. But, as the House knows, I always want to be fair to those opposite, and a couple of weeks ago we did start to see details. The member for Fairfax, the shadow minister, had a big speech coming up. He told the Australian and the headline was, 'Ted O'Brien sets out long-term plan for uranium-enrichment industry'. There were lots of quotes in the article about what he would say at his speech in Adelaide later the next day.

I've read the speech and watched it. Someone had to. Not many people do, but I do. I'm sorry to tell the House, none of the quotes that the member for Fairfax told the Australian appeared in the actual speech, which I table for the House. It was an announcement with a very short half-life.

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