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

I thank Senator Pratt for her question, and I say to her that the only plan supported by experts to deliver the clean, cheap, reliable and resilient energy system Australia needs is Albanese government's reliable renewables plan. Under that, under Labor, we've had an increase in renewables in the national grid of around 25 per cent, we've had record investment in batteries and storage, we had over 330,000 rooftop solar installations last year alone and we've green-lit more than 50 renewable projects—enough to power three million homes. And, of course, from 1 July, the Albanese Labor government is taking $300 off the power bills for every household.

Of course, as senators know, this stands in stark contrast to Mr Dutton and his nuclear reactors. He won't tell us what it will cost taxpayers. He won't say how much it will push up bills. Perhaps it's because his nuclear reactors are the most expensive option and they are decades away. Analysis by the Smart Energy Council estimates building the coalition's seven nuclear reactors could cost as much as $600 billion of taxpayer money. Who would have thought Peter Dutton was such a tax-and-spend socialist? That's $600 billion of taxpayers' money. This nuclear fantasy has to be one of the riskiest, most ill-thought-out policies ever put forward by a party of government—one of the worst we have ever seen.

Now, we all know that we've got work to do after Australia suffered a decade of denial and delay and incompetent inaction under the Liberal and National Parties. Twenty-four out of 28 coal-fired power stations announced their closure under you, and you did nothing. (Time expired)