George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I'm afraid, Senator Di Natale, that you're deteriorating. We admired your thespian ambitions yesterday, but I'm afraid they have hit the wall. In fact, every premise in your question is wrong—every single one. As a result of the recommendations of the Energy Security Board—that group of specialists with the most immediate and intimate knowledge of the operation of the energy market, whose advice this government has chosen to follow and to adopt—the share of renewable energy in the energy mix will increase by 2030 to the range of 28 to 36 per cent. It will increase, Senator Di Natale, and the share of carbon-based energy sources, coal and gas, will reduce. So, Senator Di Natale, that premise of your question is wrong.

And you questioned the Prime Minister's motives. This is what grown-up governments do: they listen to the advice of those best in position to advise them and they consider the options. They consider the options. Through the COAG process, we commissioned Dr Alan Finkel to prepare a report. He made 50 recommendations, 49 of which the government has accepted. One recommendation in relation to a clean energy target we did consider, but we adopted a different proposal from the Energy Security Board—a group of men and women with even more immediate knowledge of the operation of the Australian energy market than that of Dr Finkel—because their proposal, announced by the Prime Minister in the last hour, will result in even more reductions of price of electricity to Australian households than Dr Finkel's clean energy target.

So, we have consulted the experts. We have considered the options. We have gone about this methodically and carefully and come up with the best choice for the Australian people. (Time expired)