Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Good try, Senator Polley. There was lots of good TikTok material in that contribution, I'm sure. I would like to address some comments which Senator Whish-Wilson made. He did invite me to make some comments on his contribution, and I would say this to Senator Whish-Wilson: the answer, Senator Whish-Wilson, is blowing in the wind. You talked about wind power. The answer, Senator Whish-Wilson, is blowing in the wind.

One of the smartest people I know, my good friend Martin, sent me an article from the Wall Street Journal just a week or so ago, and I want to quote from that article about the economic realities of wind power:

Energy giant Shell wrote off its 50% stake in Atlantic Shores—

this is a wind farm project off the coast of New Jersey—

choosing to take a $1 billion impairment—

that's US$1 billion—

instead of complete the 2,800 megawatt wind farm.

So there you go, Senator Whish-Wilson: the answer perhaps isn't blowing in the wind; it's blowing in the impairment provisions of major energy producers and how they are writing off their investments in wind farm projects. I look forward to joining Senator Whish-Wilson's committee in the next parliament.

We're all in politics, so we expect robust debate, and I'm no different. I note that the sitting federal Labor member where my Senate office is located, the Hon. Shayne Neumann, the member for the Labor held seat of Blair, can give as good as he gets. He accused me on River 949, which is a wonderful radio station in South-East Queensland, of not having done my homework. I was always known as a conscientious student, so this was a grave accusation that was being made against me. This was, of course, in relation to the Brisbane Valley Highway.

I repeat my call for the federal Labor Albanese government to dedicate an additional $20 million to the Brisbane Valley Highway over and above the existing South-East Queensland City Deal. I'm calling for an extra $20 million for the Brisbane Valley Highway over and above that amount. That is what I am calling upon the Albanese Labor government to do, and I make no apology for it, because that highway is in a deplorable state.

I say to Mr Neumann: it is not about the homework; it is about the roadwork. It's not about the homework, Mr Neumann. It's not about the homework; it's about the roadwork. That's what we want to see. When we look at the report card for roadwork in Mr Neumann's federal seat of Blair, what do we find? After 18 years of having a sitting Labor member, the Amberley interchange has not been fixed—after 18 years. After 18 years of Mr Neumann being the sitting Labor member, the Mount Crosby interchange has not been fixed—after 18 years, not fixed. After 18 years of having a sitting Labor member, the Brisbane Valley Highway has not been fixed. The Amberley interchange—was that fixed in Mr Neumann's 18 years? No. Was the Mount Crosby interchange fixed in Mr Neumann's 18 years? No. Was the Brisbane Valley Highway fixed in Mr Neumann's 18 years? No.

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

On a point of order, President: the senator is misleading the Senate with his claims about the 18 years—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's a debating point, Senator Chisholm. Senator Scarr.

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, President. I say to Mr Neumann: you can't blame the state government. You can't say the state government ate your homework, because, for 14 out of 18 years, there was a Labor state government in Queensland. For 14 out of the 18 years that you've been the federal Labor member for Blair, there was a Queensland Labor government. So you can't say the state Labor government ate your homework. I make no apology for standing up for the people of the Somerset Region or for standing up for the people of the Ipswich region and calling for the Labor government to provide the roads, rail and bridges which the people of Ipswich and the people of the Somerset Region deserve.

Senate adjourned at 17:56