Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources) Share this | Hansard source

What a load of twaddle from both the Greens and the government. This fantastical energy plan that is being rushed is resulting in greater expenditure and taxes and no connections. I have just spent two weeks in Western Australia where I saw extraordinarily bad outcomes for resources companies. They have had to step in because of the government's failure to have any plan at all.

The Greens have come up with this urgency motion. They continue to make up numbers in this sector while ignoring the fact that it does continue to provide our energy security. The lesson of the past few months is that energy security equals national security for all Australians. It's funny, however, that the Greens reference the IEA and continue to pick out the numbers that suit their radical agenda.

Coal and gas remain necessities for energy production both in Australia and right around the world. The International Energy Agency's World energy outlook projects that total global oil, coal and gas demand will grow. In fact, the IEA confirms that coal and gas will remain an important part of the world's energy mix decades into the future, with coal remaining the single-largest source of energy in 2040. That means that coal and gas will play a vital role in Australia's energy mix for the foreseeable future.

We can see in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales the emerging issue of energy supply security and affordability. All three states are expected to have energy shortfalls over the next three years. AEMO is warning of blackouts and brownouts over this summer, which is a burning issue, as reliable power is turned off without proper planning from this government. Coal-fired power makes up 75 per cent of our average national electricity generation and gas makes up 16 per cent of that generation and is a vital firming source in winter. We simply cannot afford to cut out new coal and gas developments. Australia has a choice. Do we adopt the European model of outsourcing our energy needs or do we adopt the US model and become an energy independent nation, using our own reserves? Continuing energy shortages and spiralling energy costs are the result of policies forcing out reliable and affordable energy in favour of intermittent energy sources. That's what the Greens want to foist on Australian households and businesses—soaring energy costs and unreliable supply.

Australia's high-quality coal and gas will play an important role, not only domestically but in other countries around the world. That is why the coalition is committed to supporting our coal and gas industries to supply Australia's high-quality resources to export markets to help lift millions out of poverty, as well as to provide cheap, reliable electricity to industry and families across Australia. Australian coal is some of the highest quality coal in the world. We produce it more efficiently than most, meaning more energy and fewer emissions. That puts our coal and gas sectors and the thousands of Australians who work in them in prime position to benefit from the increased global demand for energy resources.

As China and India increase their demand for coal and gas, for both steel creation and energy generation, and as Japan and Korea demand more gas to fuel their transitions, it is in everyone's interest that Australia's high-quality resources are the first choice for our partners around the world. Our failure to meet those demands—to refuse to step up and be responsible—will mean those countries that need our resources turn to lower-quality, higher-emitting resources from other countries. Pause to think on that for a second, Madam Acting Deputy President. When Australia stops exporting its high-quality coal and gas, higher emissions around the world are the result. If Australia steps back, world emissions rise, and that is a bad outcome in anybody's mind.

As the middle class continues to grow, Australia's energy resources will enable people from countries in Africa and Asia to lift themselves out of poverty, unlike what's happening in Australia. It's not the Greens who stress over rising electricity bills; it's mums and dads trying to balance the household budget and figure out how to survive.