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

I withdraw. The speech that we just heard by Senator Green was riddled with a number of factual inaccuracies. The idea that Labor has kept assets in Queensland's hands is complete and utter rubbish. We saw under the Bligh-Beattie government the reckless sale of Queensland's infrastructure. The Port of Brisbane was sold for six times earnings and the forestry plantations were sold for five times earnings. The solar and wind farms back then were sold. We should never forget that it was the great Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen who built the coal-fired power stations that are the backbone of the eastern states' energy grid. Today we have the southern interconnector that basically sends energy down to the southern states and keeps the lights on in this country. In 1989, at the end of the Nationals government, we had the cheapest energy in the world.

That is something that we need to reflect on this week, because this budget was a show about nothing. It reminded me of the Seinfeld episode 'The Hamptons' when George Costanza got out of the pool and all we saw was shrinkage. The best that this budget could come up with was a measly $300 to offset the thousands of dollars that energy prices have risen. It's a measly $6 a week. That is the best that Albanese could come up with. What a joke.