Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

As you know, Minister, we helped set that up. We played a pivotal role in the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. It does have two very important words in its title, with 'clean energy' being the two critical ones. It is about reducing emissions. You have correctly pointed out that you have tried to change the investment mandate of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation since you have been in power, but it was specifically set up to invest in renewable energy projects of low risk. So you could perhaps equate that to brownfield assets, in the broader investment class, that could generate returns, but it was designed to reduce emissions.

I spoke on this in my contribution in the second reading debate today. As you are aware, the Senate Select Committee into the Scrutiny of Budget Measures has been looking into infrastructure financing for 15 months. It interests me that your previous employers, the Productivity Commission, made it very clear in their evidence to us that all infrastructure projects that are financed by taxpayers and the government should have a transparent cost-benefit analysis put up. If the minister chooses to ignore that, at least we can surmise the reasons the minister ignored it. Having worked for the Productivity Commission yourself, Minister, why do you feel that, sitting in your chair today with a different hat on, you could ignore such an important recommendation?