Ralph Babet (Victoria, United Australia Party) Share this | Hansard source

To all the Australian farmers, miners and tradies out there, I'd like to welcome you to the dystopian world of net zero—a world brought to you by the Liberals, the Nationals, Labor and the Greens. Let me inform you of the wonders of the only electric ute currently available for sale in Australia. For nearly 93 grand, plus on-road costs, you can drive away in a brand new, made in China LDV eT60. Doesn't that sound appealing? Are you dreaming of weekends away camping, caravanning or boating? Forget it! This beauty has a towing limit of a thousand kilograms and is only available in two-wheel drive, with a range of under 200 kilometres when towing or carrying a load. Instead of asking the salesman for free floor mats, you'd better ask him to throw in a free diesel generator and a jerry can. How about that instead?

Not convinced? Here is the kicker: it's carbon neutral—how good is that, right?—as long as you ignore the 3,000 kilograms of steel, copper, lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, graphite, zinc and all the rest of it. Don't forget to turn a blind eye to the coal fired power used in the Chinese factory; the diesel trains, the trucks and the ships that are used for transport; and the fossil fuels that you're going to use when you charge it at night in the comfort of your own garage here in Australia.

Do you know what virtue-signalling is? It's an expensive business. We've got to reject net zero, because it makes net zero sense. Net zero is a total and complete and utter scam designed to shut down our nation, enrich predatory globalists and the CCP. That is all it's going to do.