Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

No, you will want to hear this, Senator Cameron:

… the rush away from coal and gas-fired electricity power stations to renewables is a little unseemly in its haste because we are potentially crucifying hundreds of thousands of manufacturing workers.

It is not just the AWU. At the risk of inflaming my colleague Senator Cash, the CFMEU has had something similar to say. In its submission to a Senate inquiry in November last year, it said:

The decline and closure of base-load coal power in South Australia has contributed to higher average power prices in that State together with much uncertainty over future pricing … and increased vulnerability of supply …

We understand the importance of affordability and reliability. Households understand the importance of affordability and reliability. Businesses understand the importance of affordability and reliability. Even trade unions, it seems, understand the importance of affordability and reliability. It's just those opposite who want to pretend you can live in some nirvana where you don't have to worry about putting policies in place to deliver affordability and reliability.