George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The cost of electricity in Queensland did not rise for the 26 years from 1980-81 to 2006-07. That's according to a Queensland Productivity Commission report released last year. But, in the nine years from 2007 to 2016, the cost of electricity increased 87 per cent. Why? It is because billions of dollars were thrown at clean energy programs: the large-scale renewable energy target, the small-scale renewable energy target, feed-in tariffs of 44c per kilowatt-hour, more than double the domestic use tariff of 21.3c per kilowatt-hour, $1 billion of free money through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, solar panel rebates, $1.6 billion in the Solar Flagships program, the Clean Energy Initiative, the Clean Energy Trade and Investment Strategy, the Solar Homes and Communities Plan and, for too long, the carbon tax.

It's time we stopped placing all these burdens on consumers and taxpayers. The last thing we need is yet another scheme applying to renewables a subsidy that will come out of the pockets of consumers or a scheme that will mandate energy retailers having to purchase more expensive power. That can only lead to one thing: higher electricity prices. I will not be party to it. I will not vote for a Clean Energy Target that will push up power prices even higher than they already are. North Queensland has some of the largest and best coal deposits in the world. It is exported for use in high-energy, low-emissions coal-fired generators around the world. It is time Australia built one for itself, in North Queensland, close to a source of coal— (Time expired)