David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture, Water Resources, Resources and Northern Australia. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on actions the government is taking to ensure energy is reliable and affordable for hardworking farmers and regional communities like those in my electorate of Maranoa? Is he aware of any alternative approaches?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. The honourable member is very aware of how we're making sure that the people in Augathella or Birdsville—we've got a new optic fibre out to Birdsville as part of the coalition's telecommunications—the people in Dalby, in Dirranbandi, how we're making sure that their power remains reliable and affordable. It's vitally important.

One of the key components that the member for Maranoa would be aware of is our belief in base-load power, especially base-load power from such things as the three coal-fired power stations in the member's electorate, at Millmerran, Tarong—there are actually two power stations at Tarong—and also at Kogan Creek. We believe in base-load power stations because we must get base load onto the grid to keep the power and the lights on. This is despite the fact that the Queensland state government is currently gouging the system and pulling dividends out of the system in such a way that we saw $4.1 billion in borrowings come off its accounts, basically by gouging Ergon and making sure that the poles and wires, paid for by the people, pay off the incompetence of the state Labor government.

In this process we're making sure we stand behind the blue-collar workers in the member for Maranoa's seat. We do not believe that blue-collar workers are politically incorrect. We believe that blue-collar workers deserve the respect of a job. Those blue-collar workers at the Yarraman timber mill and the Charleville goat abattoir, the blue-collar workers you find in Oakey, in the pork abattoir at Kingaroy, the blue-collar workers who are chasing gas all through the system and making sure that money goes back to the towns.

You asked if there are any alternate policies, and there is one. The Labor Party believes in 50 per cent renewables. The member for Maribyrnong, who has his back turned to me again today as he always has, who has his back turned on blue-collar workers, the member for Maribyrnong who does not stand behind blue-collar workers and turns his back on blue-collar workers—his policy is 50 per cent renewables, 45 per cent emission reduction target and zero net emissions by 2050. He's been rather silent on this policy. I think the question is whether the member for Maribyrnong, the leader of the Labor Party, the party that once upon a time believed in labourers and didn't turn their back on labourers, wants to come to the dispatch box and once more re-announce his belief that blue-collar workers should be put out of a job; whether he once again can turn his back on blue-collar workers and instead of looking after blue-collar workers he returns to his eternal pursuit of crystals for negative ions and turmeric lattes and looking after all the people of Balmain that nobody— (Time expired)