Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. What is the Albanese Labor government's approach to energy policy? What policies have been rejected? Why is it important to be upfront with the Australian people about energy policy?

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

I thank my honourable friend for her question. She asked about what energy policy we are implementing and what energy policy we are rejecting. We're implementing the energy policy that we told the Australian public about before the election and, in no small part, what the then Leader of the Opposition told the Australian people about in his budget replies.

In the now Prime Minister's first budget reply, he announced the Rewiring the Nation policy on behalf of the Labor Party. In the now Prime Minister's second budget reply, he announced the New Energy Apprenticeships Program, which is now being implemented very well by the Minister for Skills and Training to ensure we have the apprenticeships to power our energy transformation. By the time of the then Leader of the Opposition's third budget reply, our energy policies had all been released. We'd already released the Powering Australia policy by the time of then then Leader of the Opposition's third budget reply. The current Leader of the Opposition has his third budget reply tonight, so we have the opportunity to hear from the Leader of the Opposition about his energy policy.

We reject risky nuclear reactors, and we adopt and endorse reliable renewables. If the Leader of the Opposition is so proud of his nuclear policy, perhaps he could announce it tonight. I understand his sensitivity. He might be worried about the reaction in the House—not so much from this side of the House as from that side of the House—because the Leader of the Opposition hasn't split the atom, but he has split his party room. We've had those brave individuals, the dozen coalition MPs who want nuclear, as long as it's not in their electorates—those conviction politicians who support nuclear policy, as long as it's not in their backyard. We've seen other reporting of the views of the coalition party room. The Daily Telegraph reported that a backbench coalition MP described the policy as 'madness on steroids'. There's an endorsement for you. The Fin Review has reported 'a sudden sense of bewilderment' within the coalition about nuclear policy. The coalition is bewildered about nuclear policy—their own policy. They really are slow-moving 'be-wildebeests' over there sometimes. They're bewildered about their own policy.

The same report said that coalition MPs are calling their own policy 'bonkers'. This is going to go swimmingly tonight, I reckon, on behalf of the Leader of the Opposition. It's just going to go very well. There have been absolute scenes in the coalition about this policy, absolute scenes of disunity. The shadow minister has gone very quiet for a change. We don't hear so much from him—

There we go—we got him. We've got a live one! The member for Fairfax has perked up.

Perhaps he will perk up again tonight and actually announce a policy.

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

The minister's time has concluded, and the member for Fairfax's time has almost concluded. He will cease interjecting.