Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Professor Andrew Whittaker told the House Select Committee on Nuclear Energy:

… I firmly believe that nuclear power should be part of the energy mix in Australia. Energy security is national security … Being part of a global nuclear supply chain … would benefit all Australians …

Why is Labor dismissing world experts in pursuit of a renewables-only policy that is putting our nation's energy security at risk?

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

I thank the honourable member for his question. I thank him for raising the evidence that's been provided to the committee that is being chaired by the member for Hunter. Now that the member for Flynn has opened that question, it gives me an opportunity to talk about the evidence that the member for Hunter and his colleagues have been hearing, like the evidence from Ontario, which the shadow minister has referred to. It's their poster child for nuclear. It's a province where they say, 'That's the best practice for nuclear.' We've heard evidence from a professor from the university of Ontario who has pointed out that that policy has bankrupted the Hydro One company of Ontario and seen their prices skyrocket compared to the provinces next door. For example, people in Ontario pay more for energy than the people of Quebec next door. Quebec relies a lot more on renewable hydro. That is the evidence that the committee chaired by the member for Hunter has heard.

The member for Fairfax knows this because he sits on that committee. He sits on that committee, so he has heard all the evidence. He has also the evidence from Professor Bill Grace from the University of Western Australia, who has pointed out that the only way to make nuclear power work in Australia is to switch off cheap renewable energy, to stop exporting electricity from rooftop solar systems and forget feed-in tariffs. The system has to call on baseload nuclear power first or the plan makes no sense whatsoever. What Professor Grace has pointed out is that all those Australians who have invested in rooftop solar will have their feed-in tariffs cut and they will be curtailed to make way for nuclear power. That is the evidence that has been heard before the committee.

We have also heard from Sunshine Hydro that the AP1000 nuclear reactor, which is the preferred model of the member for Fairfax, even if it is running at 15 per cent will turn off 75,000 solar rooftops across Australia. Just a couple of weeks ago I was present at Australia's four-millionth installation of rooftop solar. These were Australians who had invested in rooftop solar. The member for Hinkler and Senator Canavan have pointed out that they support curtailing solar. They support rooftop solar being turned off to make room for nuclear energy. So, if we're going to have a discussion about the evidence that has been heard by this committee, we're up for that discussion—

and I'm up for debating the member for Fairfax. Q+A suggested a debate. He said no. 7.30 has suggested a debate. I've said yes. I await the answer of the member for Fairfax.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Everyone is just going to settle. And the chamber will come to order so I can hear from the honourable member for Pearce.