Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. How can the member for Hughes possibly remain the chair of the coalition committee on the environment and energy when he is promoting a position which undermines the central plank of the Prime Minister's policy on climate change? Will the Prime Minister now sack the member for Hughes from this position, or is the Prime Minister preparing for yet another backflip on climate change policy?

Mr Wood interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for La Trobe will cease interjecting.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable member's question seems to overlook a salient fact, which is that the government has today ratified the Paris Agreement—that is a fact. The significance of that and the importance of that agreement is one which I will invite the minister to now address.

Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Port Adelaide will resume his seat. What has occurred is perfectly in order. There is extensive practice on it. If he wishes to argue with me, he can do so after question time. The minister has the call.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the Prime Minister said, we have ratified the Paris Agreement, which will leave Australia to reduce its emissions by 26 to 28 per cent by 2030 on 2005 levels. We are doing it with effective policy mechanisms, like the Emissions Reduction Fund—for which the cost per tonne of abatement has been at $12.10—our renewable energy target as well as our National Energy Productivity Plan. The gall of the member for Port Adelaide, who comes from the state of South Australia, to get up at this dispatch box when he is not worried about the fact that his state went into the black. He is not worried about his state, which has the highest electricity prices in the National Electricity Market. This is what the South Australian Council of Social Service said:

We have the highest electricity prices in the nation in South Australia. We have the highest unemployment in South Australia and that's no coincidence.

The Labor Party should know that its ideological—

Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will resume his seat. The member for Port Adelaide has already risen to try to take a point of order. I hope you know which one it is—can you state it?

Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is on direct relevance. I asked about the suitability of the member for Hughes as the chair of the coalition committee on the environment and energy.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Port Adelaide will resume his seat. I listened very closely—

Mr Chester interjecting—

The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport is warned. The minister has the call.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the member for Port Adelaide's own words, he wants to kickstart the closure of coal fired power stations. This will only send electricity prices up and will reintroduce issues about the stability of the system. Yesterday we heard from Graham Richardson. We should remind the House what he said about Labor's 50 per cent renewable target.

Mr Conroy interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Shortland!

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He said:

The farce of this policy has become obvious to all … Labor has no plan on how this target would be reached.

Mr Conroy interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Shortland will leave under 94(a).

The member for Shortland then left the chamber.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Then I want to add the words of Tony Maher, the national president of the CFMEU, who wrote to all members opposite in 2015. He said about the Leader of the Opposition's 50 per cent target:

… an increased Renewable Energy Target (RET) of 50% by 2030 will increase the cost of electricity for manufacturing and ordinary households while being a poor tool to reduce Australia’s overall global warming emissions.

Only the coalition can introduce energy efficiency, energy security— (Time expired)