Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It takes quite an effort to be outfoxed by the member for New England, but this Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction was outfoxed and outclassed by someone who was clearly above his pay grade, because the member for New England won that day. I came to parliament this week and I went through the list of legislation, and as I was scrolling through it I double-checked to make sure I hadn't missed a piece of legislation. Do you know what bill wasn't on the list of legislation for this week? The Clean Energy Finance Corporation bill. It wasn't there. It was there last week. The member for Fraser noted it. I noted it and spoke on it. I raised some concerns about the bill and the government's willingness and desire to take the clean energy out of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. They also want to take the finance out of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation—two terrible amendments. But the member for New England outfoxed and outclassed this minister, and now we are not going to see that piece of legislation come back. That bill is gone, just like the other 22 energy policies of this rabble of a government. We've had 22 energy policies from this government.

All industry is crying out for a policy: 'Just please give us a policy! We'll settle for one from the minister for emissions reduction, but just give us a policy.' Industry knows, and we on this side of the House know, that tackling climate change equals jobs. Tackling climate change equals job creation and job opportunities for Australians. But what do they know on that side of the House? Senator Molan said on Q&A that he doesn't use evidence to form his beliefs and views on climate change. Evidence is too high a bar for those opposite. Senator Rennick has some wild ideas about what the Bureau of Meteorology is up to. 'Conspiracy Craig' broke up with them; they didn't break up with him.

We on this side of the House know, as does every single state and territory government in this country, that we need a pathway towards net zero. The Business Council knows we need a pathway towards net zero. The Farmers Federation know we need a pathway towards net zero. The international community, our major trading partners, know we need a pathway towards net zero—Japan, China, South Korea, where a lot of our exports go; they are all heading towards net zero, mostly by 2050, some by 2060. But of course this government has become an international embarrassment and they have led Australia into the unenviable position of being a laggard on climate change.

I'm glad we have now been joined by the member for Goldstein, because he is a part of this House's efforts and this government's efforts to, instead of actually tackling climate change, put forward an alternative around nuclear energy. They on that side of the House, and also my neighbour on the other side—I'm in a friendly neighbourhood, in Macnamara—the member for Higgins, who is also a fanatic on nuclear energy, come into this place and talk up nuclear energy. But what they don't say is how many billions of dollars of taxpayer funds they're willing to spend for nuclear energy. They also don't say whereabout the nuclear energy reactors are going to go.

Now, I'm looking forward to the member for Goldstein announcing in this place that he wants to push forward with the Brighton Beach nuclear reactor!—just on the coast there, next to the yacht club. Just shuffle over a little bit, fellas, because we're going to build a large-scale nuclear reactor right next to the little huts there on Brighton Beach. There'll be just the little huts, and then the big nuclear reactor on Brighton Beach. That's what they want to do. They want the nuclear reactor right there on Brighton Beach—or, if the member for Higgins has her way, maybe the Toorak nuclear reactor! Move over folks, we're going to build the nuclear reactor in the middle of Toorak! It is as laughable as it is dangerous.

We on this side of the House believe in the science. We want to see action on climate change. And we want to see an energy policy that will create jobs in this country.

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