Gerard Rennick (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm glad to be given another opportunity to speak on the need to hold an inquiry into the construction of transmission lines versus farmland. As a voting member of the RRAT committee, I would welcome the opportunity to hear from concerned constituents whose land will be impacted by the construction of transmission lines and also other stakeholders who are concerned about the construction of transmission lines in, say, state forests or national parks or on personal property, wherever that may be. I have to say I'm very disappointed with the Labor Party for refusing to vote on this particular motion to hold an inquiry into the construction of transmission lines across our natural landscapes, because we are in the Senate. The Senate is a house of review. We are entitled to ask questions. We are entitled to go out and engage with the community about their concerns.

I have heard from many farmers and many other constituents who are concerned about the impact on the environment from the construction of transmission lines. I don't think it is fair because I well remember the Prime Minister saying, when he was opposition leader in the lead-up to last year's election, how he was going to lead a government of transparency, and yet we are not seeing that.

We have seen the Labor government refuse to be transparent about aged-care workers, about the number of nurses being placed in aged-care centres. They're not being transparent about the price of energy; our colleague Senator Duniam has asked for quarterly reporting into energy prices, and they're not being transparent about that. They're not being transparent about the National Cabinet and the release of minutes of the National Cabinet. And yet again we see another example of where this government does not want to be transparent—on the impact of transmission lines on our environment.

The other thing we need to look at is the impact of the financial consideration that will be given to stakeholders if transmission lines—and other renewables, for that matter; not just transmission lines but wind turbines and solar panels—are built on private property, and how these farmers will be compensated. If they're not going to be compensated, who picks up the bill for when these transmission lines or wind turbines have to be deconstructed in 20 years? These are reasonable questions, and I think the public deserves to have a say and other concerned constituents are entitled to listen to and hear what the particular stakeholders have to say about the impact of renewables on the environment and also on property rights for our hardworking farmers and other stakeholders involved in this process.

I look forward to holding the division. I have to say I'm very disappointed in the Labor government for not voting for this. I hope we get the crossbench onside; I'm sure One Nation will be. I can well remember Senator David Pocock, when he gave his maiden speech, saying he was on the side of the farmers. This is your opportunity, Senator Pocock, if you're listening, to lend your support to an inquiry about transmission lines and how they will impact farmers not just on their farmland itself but financially, and what contractual obligations they will be under to clean up the renewables when they come to the end of their useful life, whether it be in 10 years time or 20 years time. This is something we need to see get up. I don't expect the Greens to support it because they're not really interested in protecting the environment whenever it comes to things like this; they do not want to look at the potential damaging impact of renewables on the environment. That is something that we will continue to prosecute in opposition—to call out the hypocrisy of both the Labor Party and the Greens in not wanting to be honest about the environmental damage that renewables will do to the environment.