Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise to take note of answers to questions by Senator Carr and Senator O'Neill.

Those opposite like to pretend that they are the champions of scientific endeavour, of research and of science informing policy. However, here we are with a report brought down by the Chief Scientist on Friday to government and to COAG about energy security. This report has been brought around because of an absolute tragedy that occurred in South Australia. But I will come to that later.

This is actually a report by our Chief Scientist, the Independent review into the future security of the National Electricity Market. It is not climate policy; it is about the future of the security of the Australian energy market. And it was delivered to COAG. Do those opposite know why? Do they know why? We have had a lot of exponential increases in household energy prices at both the household and industry levels because state governments have a significant role to play in the price of the power bills for Australian households—how much it costs them to heat and cool their homes and to refrigerate their food. Importantly, those who are actually interested in the workers in this country—who are actually interested in energy-intensive industry and who are interested in the food-processing sector or manufacturing—know that those sectors in our economy are energy intensive and know that those industries under incredible pressure from the cost of doing business. Their power supplies are a significant component of that, and everybody knows that state governments have a crucial role in ensuring that supplies for energy generation are available to the domestic market.

I think of my home state of Victoria, and I call on the energy minister in Victoria to take her responsibility for this report—having been handed this report—and, with what the various state energy ministers have been tasked to do in this report, not to fob it off. She should actually take responsibility and think, 'How can I increase the supply of gas in a safe way and in a way that does not damage our waterways?' It needs to be in a way that ensures we get more supply into the market and increased investment. Affordable reliable energy is something that we all should not take for granted but ensure that it is actually delivered.

It is disappointing that those opposite seem to wish they were in Soviet Russia or, indeed, North Korea, where power blackouts are the norm. I hate to tell them: we are a first-world economy. We are an incredibly sophisticated and well-developed society: power blackouts should not be happening in 21st century Australia!