Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

Firstly, I don't accept the premise of the question. Secondly, of course, our National Energy Guarantee is a technology agnostic approach to lower electricity prices, to increase electricity reliability and to achieve emissions reductions in a way that is economically responsible. What I would say to the good senator is that on our side of politics we actually engage in policy discussion. That's a novel thing. We engage in policy discussion in order to get to the best possible way forward for the Australian people.

The Labor Party members are treated like mushrooms by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Shorten. In the Labor Party, a decision is made to hit small businesses across Australia for six, impose higher taxes, hurt working families and send jobs overseas. That sort of decision is made by a desperate Leader of the Opposition focused on saving his own job and putting the jobs of millions of Australian workers at risk. That sort of decision is made without even going to the shadow cabinet, the shadow ERC or the shadow Labor—