Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today he's bringing a kiwi fruit—thank you, member for Lalor! According to the AFR the Treasurer is now saying, 'Cheap new coal is a bit of a myth. Let's not think that there's cheap new coal; there's not,' he told a gathering of the Wombat Hollow Forum. This government's position on coal has been confusing, to say the least. Does anyone really know where the government stands, let alone the government? The Prime Minister proposed an idea to subsidise new coal, but that's been comprehensively rejected by the Prime Minister's own commissioned review by the Chief Scientist, as it would increase pollution, drive up power prices and leave taxpayers with a massive bill. The cleanest coal plants have emission intensities above 700 kilograms of CO2 per megawatt hour—twice as polluting as a modern gas plant.

I might just insert a plug here for biomass. As a renewable and reliable energy source, biomass can generate baseload energy on demand with virtually no net contributions to global emissions. Burning biomass releases no new carbons but releases what would be released naturally as organic matter decomposes. What's more, well-managed biomass can result in no net loss to plantations or forests, with essentially one or two trees planted for every one that is harvested. Technological advances regarding pelletisation have also resulted in a much more efficient burn rate. I mentioned biomass in my first speech to the parliament last year, and I continue to advocate for it as an underappreciated renewable energy source. It is an accepted baseload energy source across Europe and its potential deserves more scrutiny here, particularly in my home state.

But I come back to the Treasurer losing his love for coal. His cooled ardour will no doubt wound his fossil fuel fellow travellers, like the member for Hughes, whose heads remain stuck in the sand when it comes to the future of energy in Australia. But what the Treasurer's comments really do is underscore the chaos and inconsistency from this government regarding broader energy policy. For the past four years, Australian industry and Australian consumers have been pummelled by a government that simply doesn't know whether it's Arthur or Martha—or perhaps Tony or Malcolm—on energy. The former Treasurer, Mr Hockey, sent wind energy investment into a tailspin when he remarked how ugly he thought the turbines on his drive to Canberra were. The former Prime Minister has extolled the virtues of coal so often that I'm surprised he hasn't bitten into a piece to display his affection. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation was to be abolished, but then it wasn't. The current Prime Minister used to be a champion of renewable energy, but now that he's actually in a position to do something he's not on the field. He's at the back of the bleachers, hiding from a back catalogue of broken promises and disappointments. Six months ago the current Treasurer brought a rock of coal into the parliament for his colleagues to fondle; yet here he is now, admitting that coal's future in this country is limited.

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