Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

The government does not support this amendment. We have had a long debate previously about heat pumps. They have obviously been included in the renewable energy target since 2001. They do use a renewable energy source to heat water and to displace conventional fossil fuel energy. We will not be supporting this amendment or, I foreshadow, Senator Xenophon’s amendment. However, I understand from Senator Milne’s contribution that the opposition has the support of the chamber in relation to this amendment. The Greens are supporting the opposition’s amendment and therefore the government obviously will not have majority support in the chamber for our opposition, so in the interest of the efficacy of the debate I put that on record but will not be seeking to call a division.

Question agreed to.