Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

It's a pleasure to follow Senator O'Sullivan, who made an interesting contribution. I saw an obsession with costing our policies, yet they didn't cost their own policies that they released last week—well, I wouldn't quite call it 'policy'; I'd call it a bit of a half-baked press conference where they announced support for nuclear power. We know that the history of nuclear power is that it is more expensive. It does take an enormous amount of time to deliver, and that is why what is coming from those opposite is so dangerous. I'm not someone who is philosophically opposed to nuclear power, but I am opposed to economic vandalism, and what was announced last week by the opposition actually resembles economic vandalism, and that is why it is so dangerous for the Australian community.

We were elected to government on a platform to actually take action, to implement a renewables plan, to work constructively with states and territories. We saw from those opposite 10 years of delay and denial, and the damage that did. That's what we've been overcoming since we came to government. We've been working really hard to do that, and our record points to that. On that record, I should start with the $300 off power bills for every household that will begin in six days time. We know that energy bills are challenging for so many families out there, which is why it's important that the government has acted again in this budget.

But our reliable renewables plan is supported by experts and is based on evidence from the CSIRO and AEMO that renewable firm batteries and pumped hydro is actually the lowest-cost plan to build new capacity into the grid. That is why we are pursuing it. Since the election our plan has delivered a 25 per cent increase in renewables in the grid, a record investment in batteries and storage, approval for more than 50 renewable projects around the country, and 280 gigawatts of generation and storage projects in the pipeline—4.5 times the capacity of the grid today. As I travel around—being the Assistant Minister for Regional Development, I spend a lot of time in regional areas—I see the opportunity these projects are providing to so many communities across the country and also, importantly, the support and confidence it is giving those communities so that they know they can have a brighter future.

The week after the budget the Treasurer and I were in Gladstone and were talking about a hydrogen project there that will be powered by renewable energy. So, we know that these things already happening, that it's generating jobs; it's generating investment. All that the plan from those opposite is going to do is put those things in doubt. It's going to set them back. It's going to make those businesses second guess whether they have the confidence to go through with this. You have to remember their record in government—the 22 policies. They spent $3 million on a study into a coal-fired power station in Collinsville. Where is the study? Senator McDonald, do you know where the study is? We never saw the study. That shows you what their priority was in government. They don't actually believe in climate change; they don't actually believe in renewable energy. They will do anything they can to stop and delay and not let the best and cheapest form of technology be implemented. That's the damage it's done.  

You only have to look at the evidence since they made the announcement last week. This is the Nationals leading the Liberals. Today we heard Senator Canavan say that he thinks they should roll back and not support net zero. That is at the heart of their policy. They don't want to see the plan we have implemented, that has the support of experts, and that should be dealt with in a bipartisan manner. They want to take us back to the Dark Ages, to the dark old days of the coalition government, when they did nothing. They had culture wars with the states. They didn't work constructively with them, and our country was worse off as a result. What I want to say to the Australian people is that, since we got elected, we've gone about implementing a plan, working constructively with states and territories, and we are making progress. We're seeing more renewable investment. We're seeing industry adapt and ensure they can get the renewable capacity they need to support their industry and business, and we're working constructively with states and territories to deliver on that.

There will be a clear contrast at this election between a government that has a track record of investing in renewables and doing what it can to alleviate the pressure on household power bills and those opposite who don't want to see any progress made on renewables and who want to take us back to the dark old days and do nothing about capacity for 15 years, let alone abandon the net zero ambitions of this country.