Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

The short answer is I don't accept the assertions which were contained in the question that was asked by the honourable member. What we see around the world is that the cheapest form of electricity today is firmed renewable electricity, and, if you go to any developed economy on the planet, they are investing in firmed renewable energy. That is how the world is walking down the pathway of decarbonising. That is how modern nations are engaging in the economic transformation which puts them at the frontier of technology, and that is what this government is going to navigate as well. And it is doing so through increasing renewables in our grid, and through increasing investment in the renewable sector.

The series of questions that we have had from those opposite makes it plain for every Australian to see that this is a party which is opposed to renewable energy. What is absolutely clear is that this is a party still wrestling with itself and the Nationals about whether climate change is actually happening at all. This is a party which is stubbornly and determinedly refusing to move with where the planet needs us to go and needs governments to go. It is an opposition which is refusing to acknowledge the conversation which is happening in Baku this week, as it has happened each and every year, about transitioning our globe and facing one of the great challenges in our lifetime.

We are going to do that because we understand the importance of Australia's contribution to reducing global emissions, but, more than that, what we understand is that a fair and efficient transition, in terms of decarbonising our economy, is what is in the nation's economic interest, and that is what we are pursuing. And we are doing that by pursuing the cheapest form of energy out there, which is firmed renewable energy. Those opposite, and the member in particular, are out there championing, along with the Leader of the Opposition, an idea of pursuing nuclear energy, which we won't see for 20 years, which is the single most expensive form of energy on the planet, which will see an increase in household electricity bills of $1,200 and, when it's all said and done, might—might!—contribute four per cent to our electricity grid. Those opposite can be completely stuck in the past when it comes to these policies, as they were for an entire lost decade, as we saw 22 different energy policies which took this country nowhere. On this side of the House, we have intent, we have a direction and we are transitioning this country to a cleaner, better, more prosperous future.

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