Garth Hamilton (Groom, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer him to the over 50 per cent increase to electricity prices in his first budget. I refer also to his $100 billion plan to roll out the energy transmission network, with 28,000 kilometres in wires and poles snaking their way around the country. Will this expansion of the energy transmission network further increase electricity prices for Australian families and businesses?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll be seeing the New South Wales Premier later this week, and I'll convey these coalition colleagues' views about renewables and about fixing transmission, because we're working with state and territory governments to fix the mess that was created by those opposite with all of their years of inaction. Here is what a colleague of those opposite had to say about Marinus Link, which is about transmission, which is what you're asking about:

This will renew our economy as a renewable economy … It will put downward pressure on electricity prices … Electricity prices will be lower with Marinus Link than without it. Marinus Link will help save money on people's power bills. It is a great day, a historic day.

That's what Guy Barnett, the Minister for Energy and Renewables, well-known radical socialist and government interventionist—who served in the Senate as a Liberal Party senator for year after year after year, served on their front bench, has gone into the Tasmanian parliament, is a minister and was standing next to me, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy and the Tasmanian Premier—had to say about that. The Tasmanian Premier himself, Jeremy Rockliff, had this to say:

Renewable energy is absolutely 100 per cent in Tasmania's DNA … Reliable, affordable and clean energy that will unlock billions of dollars of investment over the course of the next decades …

He spoke about a 'renewable future'. The New South Wales Premier said:

The issue here, that NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia are dealing with now, has been the ideological war when it comes to climate change and energy policy in this country, and that has led to a lack of private sector investment

That's what Dominic Perrottet, the New South Wales Premier, had to say.

But it's not just coalition members—although there's a range of good quotes from Matt Kean, so I hope you give me another one. Kerry Schott, who the coalition government appointed to look after the Energy Regulator, said:

Just have a think about the way electricity gets dispatched …

The Leader of the Opposition says Malcolm did. I've got news for you, sunshine: he was a Liberal Prime Minister and you were in his cabinet. You were in his cabinet. If you had any guts, you would have resigned if that was your view. If you had any guts, you would have resigned and not served a day. (Time expired)

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The House will come to order.

Honourable members interjecting—

Order! The House will come to order. The Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting so I can hear the member for Cunningham.