Pat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Hansard source

I'll start the question, but, as it was directed to a question about energy, I think it would be more appropriately answered by the minister for energy. We have been very clear that the energy sector is going through a transition as ageing coal-fired power stations close down. Unlike those opposite, we've got plans in place to drive investment into the sector. When they were in government, gigawatts of capacity closed down without a suitable replacement. And who suffered the most? Heavy industry in this country. That uncertainty drove power prices, as they had 23 different energy prices that placed Australian manufacturing under huge pressure. We're combating that right now with our Future Made in Australia agenda, which is driving investment into manufacturing because we're focused on it. Unlike those opposite, who cheered manufacturing going offshore, including the automotive industry, we're focused on cheap energy to drive manufacturing.

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