Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to talk further about the scourge that is intermittent power. The reason that I put forward a bill to repeal is that I don't believe there is a binary outcome. I don't think there's a possibility of amending net zero. I certainly don't believe in continuing with net zero. I don't believe in the other myriad of possible outcomes. I just want to get rid of net zero.

I want to take you to a research fellow. I don't know how much I will get through, but I will give you one example of one side of this. I'm talking about the United States repeal of one of their acts. Dr Anne Smith says:

In most jurisdictions, including the United States and Australia, there are no binding federal mandates to compel project proponents to remove obsolete wind turbines, solar panels, transmission lines, or battery systems. This has resulted in growing cases where infrastructure is abandoned, creating long-term liabilities for landholders, local councils, and, ultimately, taxpayers. Decommissioning bonds, where they exist, are often poorly enforced, underfunded, or riddled with loopholes that allow developers to exit responsibly through corporate restructuring or insolvency.

Where have you heard that before, Madam Deputy Speaker Payne? That's what we're doing right now. No-one in this building is proposing anything but that. We have these pious looks on our faces like, 'Oh, we're going to fix it all.' You're not. You've not doing anything to fix it. You're just letting them get away with it. You're letting them get away with it because they've got you on this faux virtue thing—if you dare disagree with them, then you don't believe in climate change.

See this speech in context