Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, my question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister please update the House on how the government is backing Australian households and businesses like Embrace Life, a small business employing 13 people in North Lakes, along with other local businesses by putting downward pressure on electricity prices in my electorate of Petrie?

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

I thank the honourable member for his question. He knows very well, as a former small businessman in his electorate, in his community, how tough competition is. He knows how businesses have to ensure that they can keep all of their costs under control and how essential energy is to every business. And if energy prices keep rising, as they have done, that puts pressure on the business and invariably jobs will go. We heard that yesterday in Hume—not far from here—too, where business after business talked about the pressure they are facing from rising energy costs. The effect is direct and it is on competitiveness and it is on employment. Employers, as a consequence, start laying workers off. We know that Australian businesses, just like Australian families, need affordable and reliable electricity.

What we have seen from the Labor Party is an addiction to ideology which has sent them to set targets, a 50 per cent renewable target, which they have no idea of how to implement. All we know is that in South Australia, where you have had 40 per cent renewables and a target to go to 50, you have the most expensive and the least reliable electricity in Australia, and this is a state where they are seeking more investment, more employment. And the Labor government there, in an absolute demonstration of what Labor would do nationally, have created the worst possible climate for business, the most expensive and the least reliable electricity in Australia. No wonder the head of the chamber of commerce in South Australia said South Australia is the canary in the coalmine; it demonstrates what is coming up next if the Labor Party is going to be allowed to continue.

What we have seen now is the way you have got the CFMEU, who you would think would be supporting a rational approach to energy given so many of their workers work in mining, nonetheless lining up with the Labor Party to attack the government, claiming that we are responsible for a decision by the independent umpire. Why? Just like they got the Leader of the Opposition to switch on the Fair Work Commission, just like they got him to switch on penalty rates, now they want to back him in to abolish the Building and Construction Commission so that yet again the CFMEU, the owners of the Leader of the Opposition, can dominate and oppress small businesses across Australia. (Time expired)