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

Thank you, Senator, for the question. I would make a few points. The first is that we take the best advice we can from experts about the way we transition this economy, and in particular the energy grid, in a way that increases reliability of supply, increases supply and reduces emissions. I know that there will be aspects of what AEMO—the Energy Market Operator—or other experts say that don't accord with the Greens' position, but that is the advice we are given: how do we ensure that we reduce emissions from Australia's energy grid as part of our net-zero target approach in a way that ensures we increase the renewables supply, reduce costs and increase reliability? That is what we are doing.

You described the opposition's position as a fantasy. I have to say I think it's a blank cheque for a bad bet, because what it does is to say, 'We will subsidise a policy approach which might yield something in 20 years, and we won't even tell taxpayers what the cost of ensuring the most expensive power that we can find is.' We are very clear that what we want to do is to transition the grid and the whole of the Australian economy at the lowest cost we can to meet our 2030 target and our 2050 net-zero target, which I understood was bipartisan, and we think that is the most responsible approach. I appreciate that the Greens political party have different views about different energy sources. We will— (Time expired)