Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

(—) (): In relation to the latter, Senator Hanson, you would know that the government has already put in place measures to seek to take the edge off the electricity price increases that Australians are facing. I would make the point that, obviously, those opposite chose to vote against it. We know that that was, in effect, a vote for higher electricity prices. In relation to your point about Ukraine and Russia, we work in an international market. The price of coal and gas, even if produced in Australia, is not disconnected from the international market and the fact that supply is constrained. You may shake your head, Senator Hanson. It is not disconnected. We may be an island continent, but we work in a global market, and we are not insulated from international movements in coal and gas prices. I make the point again—the evidence shows that renewables are cheaper, and that is what the government is focused on. (Time expired)