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

Today we see the billionaires are being set up to make even more money out of you sooner, because we have to change the environmental laws to allow them to build more intermittent power precincts quicker, removing environmental protections that would otherwise send sections of the political class, the environmentalists and the media into meltdown. But no more, apparently. Wow! What a deal: secret capacity investment schemes to guarantee a financial win with the taxpayers' money; the change of laws that no farmer could ever get away with so they can build their cash-cows tout suite; laws demanding that their intermittent power product has to be purchased, putting massive upward pressure on an essential item for the dignity of life; electricity pricing at a historical record high; a licence to desecrate the land with wind turbines, solar panels and transmission lines, with no responsibility to clean up the mess of obsolescence; and a clear understanding that the reason given to it—net zero—is impossible to achieve. Here is the kicker: a cheer squad in Canberra of those who otherwise would pride themselves in asking the hard questions and giving voice to the powerless against the powerful. Let's be honest. These boys need 10 out of 10. Basically, the premise is that, if you don't buy their ticket, you are a bad person. Even if you inquire, you are a climate apostate. These boys have pulled the wool over your eyes and taken you to the cleaners, and there is absolutely nothing that this chamber is currently doing to stop them.

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