Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Finance. A few moments ago in the Senate, when the finance minister was asked whether the Treasurer was correct when he said, 'There is no such thing as new, cheap energy with a coal-fired power station,' the Minister for Finance replied: 'The Treasurer was correct at that time.' If even the finance minister won't stand by the Treasurer, how can the Treasurer retain any credibility?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I need to collect myself, Mr Speaker, from that withering assault! What I'm surprised by is that the shadow Treasurer has no clue at all about energy policy. He has no idea that if you build a new HELE plant then the cost of it and capitalising it means that the cost of it is going to be higher than an existing plant right now. It's simple economics. I recommend to the member that he actually read up a bit on this topic, because we haven't heard from him much on energy policy. What we've heard a lot about from the member for McMahon is higher taxes. That's what we've heard about from the member for McMahon. All we hear about from the member for McMahon is not how to get electricity prices down but how to put people's taxes up. And we learnt just recently why he wants to put taxes up so much, because the member for Rankin belled the cat. He has said that he's going to abolish the staffing limits in the public service, so higher taxes for more desks in Canberra—not more desks in schools, but more desks in public service offices right here in Canberra; higher taxes for more public servants. And then he had this other brainwave—he's going to abolish the efficiency dividend to increase efficiency.

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

The Treasurer will resume his seat. Has the Treasurer concluded his answer?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

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

That's good because he'd drifted off the topic of the question. The member for Wright has the call.