Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

That is correct. The heaters were on high. The point is that anyone who complains about the cost of power and is therefore labelled as a knuckle-dragger. I do not think that is right. I think the people of Australia who are struggling to pay their power bills deserve respect; they deserve to have their concerns heard. This government, that opposition and the crossbenchers should all understand how important their budgets are to us and help them pay their power bills.

On Tasmania, as Senator Polley mentioned, we do have a very proud history of being a renewable electricity generator through our tremendous hydro scheme. We have a great history down there. Many communities were settled as a result of the hydro scheme. Many immigrants came to our state and have been a great part of the tapestry of the Tasmanian community. As Senator Polley said, we are a world leader—and I would like to think in some cases over the course of history we have been certainly a trendsetter—when it comes to new and innovative ways to generate energy. South Australia is not the only state to have had a power crisis. In recent times, the Tasmanian community faced a perfect storm of low rainfall—