Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Regional Transport) Share this | Hansard source

I support the motion for disallowance put forward by the member for Lyne in relation to the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment Regulations 2011 (No. 5). I congratulate the member for bringing this very important motion to the attention of the House. The motion the member has put forward is in line with the coalition's forestry policy on wood biomass and renewable energy. It was stated in the lead-up to the 2010 election that an incoming coalition government would reintroduce amendments to the renewable energy legislation, allowing for wood biomass to benefit from energy incentives available to other renewable energy sources.

Our support for the motion before the House today is entirely consistent with that policy position. However, the government's position on this issue is intellectually inconsistent, politically inconsistent and also environmentally inconsistent with the government's stated objectives. There is one party that has been consistent, and that is the Greens. The Greens have been consistent in their approach to this issue, because it is consistent with the Greens approach to destroy jobs in the native hardwood timber industry throughout Australia. So that is a consistent approach. The Greens will never be satisfied until they shut down the entire native hardwood industry in this nation. So the motive of the Greens in pressuring the government to this position is well understood.

It concerns me that we have an example, once again, of this government doing the bidding of the Greens at the expense of all other considerations. As I just said, the position being taken by the government in this is intellectually, politically and environmentally inconsistent with its objectives. It concerns me that we have got to the stage where we have Labor members opposite not prepared to stand up for the blue-collar workers in the timber industry that they pretend to represent in this place. It should not surprise me, though, because we have at least 40 members opposite who rely on preferences from the Greens to get themselves re-elected. So while this may not necessarily be an issue for some of the metropolitan members of this place, it is certainly an issue for many of the regional members and it should be an issue for every one of the Labor Party members who pretend to represent blue-collar workers in this place—and I am talking about members right throughout Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania and of course Western Australia.

I am concerned that the government's amendment and the source of the disallowance motion by the member for Lyne is clearly discriminatory to the native-forest-harvesting industry. It seeks to omit any biomass derived from native forests, be they privately or publicly held, from being eligible for renewable energy credits under the Renewable Energy Target scheme. I think the member for Calare belled the cat quite well in his presentation earlier today when he referred to the lack of common sense in the government's position, because this amendment put forward by the government simply provides an opportunity for the Greens to claim another victory over the Australian Labor Party. It is deliberately designed to harm the native hardwood timber industry at a time when that industry is facing many other challenges. I simply cannot find a rational reason for the government's approach.

I know the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency just tried to explain the government's position. I would have to suggest to the minister, in his presence, that his heart really was not in it. He tried to justify the exclusion of biomass from the native forest industry for renewable energy certificates. I listened intently, but I am not sure it was the most passionate defence of a government policy that I have ever heard from the minister.

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