Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Energy, Senator Seselja. Minister, the Western Australian Liberal-National opposition has committed to shutting down Western Australian coal power by 2025. In the place of reliable base-load coal power there will be $16 billion worth of wind and solar power. The role of maintaining back-up power to the entire Western Australian grid when wind and solar fail, as they inevitably do, will fall to a battery. Minister, can you explain to the house how Western Australia's 2,500 megawatts of average daily power use can be met by a battery, and how many calm, rainy days in a row will put the entire state into a blackout?

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Roberts for the question. I can't speak to the absolute detail of the Western Australian Liberal opposition's policy—I could take some of that on notice—but, when it comes to energy security and the need to take action, our government, of course, has laid its priorities on the table. Those priorities include a strong focus on reliable and affordable energy, whether that's in our plans when it comes to gas, whether that's in record investment in renewables, whether that's in extending the life of other base-load power, whether that's in Snowy 2.0 or whether that's in the work we are doing with the Battery of the Nation. We have a proud record of ensuring that we have reliable and affordable power whilst we invest in renewable energy, meet our emissions reductions targets on an international scale, create jobs and support manufacturing. In terms of the detail of some of those policies you went to, I'm happy to take that on notice.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Roberts, a supplementary question?

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, the Liberal-National's plan is to build 4,500 megawatts of wind and solar to replace the 1,050 megawatts of base-load power that coal provides. What is the reliability factor of wind and solar, because this policy puts wind and solar deliverability at just 23 per cent of rated capacity?

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, going to the detail of that policy, I'm happy to take some of that on notice. There is no doubt that, when it comes to delivering on these policies, we have made it very, very clear over a period of time that wind, solar and renewables—of course, we have record investment in renewables in Australia at the moment—are very important. But you do need to ensure that you have baseload capacity to ensure that we don't see the kind of situation that we saw under the former Labor government in South Australia, where the lights were going out and electricity was not being delivered.

Senator Wong interjecting—

Thank you for the interjection, Senator Wong. It is true that the only statewide blackout that I'm aware of in recent times did happen in South Australia, under the watch of the South Australian Labor government. But, when it comes to actual investment in energy, it is absolutely important—and I'll just state it again. I've run out of time. I might do it on the next supp.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Roberts, a final supplementary question?

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, how many workers will lose their jobs from the coal industry in Western Australia as a result of this Liberal-National government policy?

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Roberts for the question. Again, going to the detail of that policy, without having read that particular policy document, it would be impossible for me to comment one way or another. But what I can tell you is that our Liberal-National government has been focused on ensuring that we are growing jobs in the economy, bringing jobs back as we recover from COVID and investing in our energy resources so that we can support a strong manufacturing sector. Whether that is in our technology focus, whether that is in our focus on gas, whether that is in our investment in renewables, whether that is in extending the life of power stations or whether that is in areas like Snowy Hydro 2.0, we have a comprehensive policy that supports energy, reliable and affordable energy. We are bringing prices down. That supports a viable manufacturing industry, amongst other industries. That's our record. That's what we're going to continue to fight for to bring back jobs and support reliable and affordable energy.