Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

UNIAM (—) (): Earlier on, at the very beginning of the committee stage, I did ask a question to the mover of this amendment around what modelling had been done with regard to the impact on retail power prices of inserting a 75 per cent reduction target. In response, at the end of her last contribution, the leader of the Australian Greens said she was flattered by the question, but she declined to answer. All I asked was what modelling, if any, existed. None has been provided, so I can only assume there is absolutely no regard for what impact this would have on household budgets. I presume that is the standard that we are now setting. We will just focus on one side of the equation and not the other.

I made the point earlier on, and I think it's not an unreasonable one, that in every decision we make we should balance the economy and the environment, which are two very fragile things. We would never make a decision purely on economic grounds, and nor should we ever. The days of those decisions are long gone, thankfully, but we should balance those decisions. The Greens do need to be held to account for such propositions. They aren't the party of government—and I hope they never will be. But when you come in here and try to alter legislation which, I believe, will have a very negative impact on something as simple as household power bills, you should answer the questions being asked about the amendment being put forward. I know that no modelling has been done. They refuse the answer the question. Let that be known publicly. So, I will then ask the minister: what modelling has been done on the impact on household power prices of your 43 per cent target?