Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to his previous answer, in which he mentioned the importance of transparency. Will the Prime Minister release government modelling on the impacts of net zero emissions by 2050 presented to the Nationals party room? Why is this modelling secret?

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I'm just seeking your clarification as to how the Prime Minister can be asked to answer that question. I suspect that the member for McMahon misstated the question and—

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Could the Leader of the House pause for a second. No-one interjecting on my left is helping me hear the Leader of the House. The Leader of the House, perhaps you could start again.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, as I understood it—not that I was paying great attention to the member for McMahon, as is probably the case for most in this chamber!—I heard the member for McMahon talk about the presentation to the Nationals party room, and I don't know how that can be within the Prime Minister's remit. He was not in the meeting. He didn't attend the meeting. It was entirely, appropriately, a matter for the National Party. And I don't know how the Prime Minister could be expected to answer that question.

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

The question was whether the Prime Minister would release the modelling that was provided to the party room.

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

I can't speak to the discussions in the Nationals party room any more than the Leader of the Nationals can speak to the discussions in the Liberals party room. We're two great parties. We form a great coalition, as we have done for many, many years, and we continue to do so. I can be very clear to the Australian people that we will be very transparent about what our commitments are, what the costs are and what the outcomes are going to be. They can trust me to do that because that's exactly what I did at the last election. At the last election I set out very clearly what our 2030 target was going to be, how we were going to achieve it—that we would meet and beat it—what the costs would be and what the programs were. As a result, the Australian people backed our plan.

Those opposite, the Labor Party, had a 45 per cent emissions reduction target. The then Leader of the Opposition couldn't explain those issues. He couldn't level with the Australian people. He couldn't explain the costs.

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

I just say to the Prime Minister that this is not an opportunity to now move off the question, which was a very specific one about whether he would or wouldn't release modelling. I think the Prime Minister has answered that. It's not an opportunity to talk about the opposition policies at the last election.

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

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I can be very clear with the Australian people. We will set these things out very clearly, because that is our form, that is what we have done. I think it's very important for Australians to know what our plans are as they are aware of the plans of all those who would go to the next election pretending to do various things. We will be very clear about our plans. People know what our 2030 commitment is. It's a mystery what the 2030 commitment is of those opposite. There's no plan there. There's no plan for 2050 from those opposite. We will release our plans. We will be clear about the costs. We will explain to people in rural and regional Australia in particular how we'll be standing with them as they work through the challenges that they will face and realise the opportunities are there for more jobs, more investment and a stronger rural and regional Australia.

I welcome the fact that, in asking this question, the Labor Party are saying that the standard is that you have to tell people what your plans are, what your costs are and what it means for them. That would be the first time they've ever done that.