Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Isn't it extraordinary that a sensible proposal that should have been taken seriously by the coalition party room is treated in this way? We have in our nation, as is well documented by the Finkel report itself, an energy crisis. We have increasing prices in our nation, as you can see in the very charts that were presented to the coalition party room just yesterday. That very presentation that you all would have listened to outlines very clearly that policy uncertainty is holding back new investment, resulting in higher costs and gas-fired generation setting the price more often. Here it is in your very own presentation.

We had from Senator Brandis this afternoon and, indeed, yesterday an absolute denial of the evidence and facts presented to his own party room. He refuses, as Senator Carr highlighted, to engage with even the basic evidence that is presented to his party room that is in the Finkel report itself. We have here documented evidence that went before the party room about how electricity prices are rising. We have evidence here that says a clean-energy target would indeed lower prices. We also have the evidence that shows it is the policy vacuum, the policy uncertainty that is driving energy prices up in our nation.

We have had in our nation a 90 per cent fall in energy investment and one in three renewable-energy jobs lost, and yet we see coming from the coalition a continued war on renewable energy. Instead of moving to solve our energy crisis, the crisis is within the coalition party room. They refuse to take responsibility for the policy uncertainty that is holding back investment and placing our energy systems in crisis.

The simple fact is we had in place under the Labor government a perfectly good mechanism that would have set certainty in place, enabled electricity prices to stabilise and come down and enabled the energy investment that we as a nation need to happen. Instead what we see is a policy vacuum and a policy crisis despite the fact that you have asked for policies. They are on the table, and you are riven by complete division and uncertainty. We have had Senator Brandis and Senator Fawcett defending their party room processes and the robustness of people expressing their views and having their voices heard. You seem to value those views in a way that is completely devoid of facts or evidence. Not all views are equal. Not all opinions are as important as other views. Why? Because they are not based on evidence. They are not based on research. Instead you are quite happy to accede to these voices. Why? Because your government is in crisis. Because you are trying to stabilise Malcolm Turnbull's prime ministership.

There is incredible disquiet, as reported, in the coalition party room. It seems apparent that the backbench of the coalition wants to significantly modify the clean energy target as proposed. Why? Because you are into a descent away from evidence and facts and toward meritless opinions.

This is a sensible policy proposal that should have been taken seriously. We have a preferred policy position that is not the one that is on the table, but we can engage in effective discussion about the policy directions of this nation. But the simple fact is the climate wars in our nation are back in a civil war within the coalition party room. We have power prices up and pollution up. (Time expired)