Cameron Caldwell (Fadden, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's very interesting getting up to speak on this MPI today, because it is a matter of public importance. There is a significant quantum of public money at stake, and we're talking about a genuine process of allocating that public money—somewhere, somehow—for an outcome that is meaningful. Honestly, I am bewildered but unsurprised that each of the speakers on the other side have wanted to talk about everything but PsiQuantum. In fact, they've hardly mentioned the word.

The member for Reid clearly has an obsession about nuclear energy. It's interesting that she talks about that today, on a day when the government has itself decided to—we hope—genuinely investigate nuclear energy through a select committee. It actually makes me wonder who is afraid of the science. For decades the Labor Party have been telling us to trust the science on climate change, and we have. Now, when presented with nuclear energy as a potential solution, they run the other way. Perhaps it's because of the leadership in this portfolio. Quite frankly, I would have thought that the Minister for Industry and Science, having had, as he said, 164 days to prepare an answer to this MPI, would have done a bit better than he did. Then again, I'm not surprised, because it was in this place, in question time, that he said, 'We've got a constant supply of sun and wind that blesses our continent.' Now, the last time I checked, there's no sun at night-time. Is this serious?

This is the same guy who is trying to run this process, with a billion dollars of public funds. That is why this matter of public importance today deserves to be thoroughly examined: $1 billion; an American company; and, quite frankly, a process that absolutely smacks of a predetermined outcome, completely reverse-engineered in order to get one proponent to be successful. What we've seen in the past 164 days is an absolutely shameless cover-up by the minister. I walked in here today thinking: 'I'm a fair-minded guy. Maybe I'll hear something from this minister that actually puts my mind at ease. Maybe he'll step us through the process, his thoughts; he'll explain exactly how the value-for-money proposition was contemplated.' But no: we got absolutely nothing but bluff and bluster. There was no explanation.

What's interesting to me as a Queenslander is of course that we've got a partner in crime in this little situation: the Queensland state government. The feds and the Queensland state government are in this for $470 million each. So, in addition to my interest federally, as a Queenslander—with an upcoming state election—I am very interested as to how the Miles-Palaszczuk government have been spending our hard-earned money. On the Queensland Treasury website they are so keen to link us—such a tenuous link—to the Australian element:

While the company is headquartered in Palo Alto in California, PsiQuantum has deep roots in Australia. Two of its co-founders, CEO Professor Jeremy O'Brien and Chief Architect Professor Terry Rudolph, were both born and raised in Australia.

Well, that's absolutely wonderful, but our billion dollars is floating away across the Pacific to 700 Hansen Way, Palo Alto, California 94304.

I just wonder how on earth this Labor government hasn't explained this so far today. Where are we getting value for money from this proposal? And how on earth can any Australian have any faith in the way this government will go about making investment decisions in the future?

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