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

In the real world—where I've been for the last little while—there's been a lot of talk about the agreement reached between the Greens and the Labor Party and the chilling effect that will have—in fact, the direct claim that this will kill off all new coal and gas. Then there's this basic principle around supply and demand, the economics of supply and demand, and when you don't have enough supply you can't meet demand. We need these inputs to be able to generate energy, given the way our energy mix is generated at the moment.

To that point, given the arrangement that has been reached here—we've talked about it enough, the rooms in which it was reached. I'm just seeking to understand whether the claims being made by the Greens about killing off all new coal and gas—what that does to supply, bringing on new supply in order to meet demand. We only have to look at the ACCC and AEMO, who tell us the best way and only way to deal with some of these cost pressures we're facing with electricity today, tomorrow and into the future is by bringing on supply. The Greens tell us that supply is not going to be met, that we're killing it off and it's not going to be a part of what happens here, as a part of the arrangements reached under this legislation.

Is it still the government's view that this law, this legislation and everything it entails, even though it doesn't cover energy generators but has the impact that we've talked about here, will put downward pressure on electricity prices in this country?