Pat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. On the weekend the National Party, of which the current member for New England is the most senior member, voted to remove all support for renewable energy providers. Does this reflect government policy? If so, what will this mean for the future of the White Rock Solar Farm and the White Rock Wind Farm in the electorate of New England?

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

As the honourable member is well aware, the policies of the coalition government are determined by the cabinet and the coalition party room. We certainly respect decisions, recommendations and resolutions from our various party conferences, but policy is determined by the members of parliament here, and that has always been the case.

I am glad the honourable member has raised with me the matter of energy, because I recall his first speech when he said, 'This is a region built on coalmining and energy production'. The honourable member said, 'I am proud to say that in Charlton we have six coalmines still in operation'—

Pat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am proud of that, idiot!

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

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The member for Shortland will withdraw.

Pat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw, unqualifiedly.

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

And he is warned. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

He said:

Coal mining began as soon as European settlement began and it permeates every aspect of life in the Hunter.

Then in March this year he said:

Clean coal is a lie; it is not the future for this nation. In fact, it is doing a great disservice to the coal communities of this country to dangle the prospect of future coal-fired generation in this country.

Well, in 3½ years coalmining went from 'permeating every aspect of life in the Hunter' to having no prospect at all! Now, that tells you a lot about the Labor Party.

The Labor Party is riven by ideology and idiocy. Our policies are based on engineering and economics. We see a role for every form of generation: for coal, for renewables and for gas, right across the board. Our objective and our policy is designed deliver affordable, reliable power while meeting our international obligations to reduce emissions. The member for Shortland has utterly failed his constituency in his abandonment of the interests of the people he claims to represent.