Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Resources and Water. Last week, the minister told question time: 'Find me a solar panel that works in the dark.' Is the minister aware that batteries can store renewable energy? And does the minister get a shock when he turns on the tap and water comes out, even though it's not raining outside?

Keith Pitt (Hinkler, National Party, Minister for Resources and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thought they'd brought the big guns, but they brought the pop gun! Unfortunately, the Leader of the Opposition has backed up the exact thing I've said: solar panels don't work in the dark. That is just a statement of fact. If you want to store energy, there are any number of ways of doing that, as there has been for a long period of time, and it's the resources sector that's delivering the equipment, delivering the technology and delivering the resources to make those things a reality. I say to those opposite: you can use a dragline to dig up your political dirt, if you want, but it will have no impact on me. I will stay focused on what I do every single day—that is, deliver for the people I represent.