Nick Xenophon (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Milne for her comments of broad support. If I may direct this to Senator Milne: I envisage that to protect against job losses the idea is that investment must be made in low-emission technologies and alternative industries. That is not inconsistent with the same entity doing that. If a coal-fired generator receives assistance and that goes into co-generation or is invested in alternative energy and that offsets the jobs that are lost as a result of reducing the output or closing down the coal-fired generation aspects of that particular industry, then that is still a win-win in my view. To my coalition colleagues, who I do not think are supporting this, I would have thought that the coalition would be attracted to this since the coalition supported the concept of mutuality in terms of work for the dole. It is a similar sort of approach. If you are receiving assistance you need to give something back for it. Where there is $7.3 billion worth of assistance it is not unreasonable for there to be a business plan in place to say how you are going to reduce emissions as a consequence of the significant taxpayer funded assistance you are receiving in respect of this scheme.