Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks to the Leader of the Nationals for his question. As we have made really clear and as the relevant experts—the Prime Minister read out a few of them a moment ago—have made really clear, Australia's best chance to put downward pressure on electricity prices is from introducing cleaner, cheaper, more renewable and more reliable energy sources. That, for a long time, wasn't an especially controversial proposition; even those opposite held that view. I'm asked this question by the Leader of the Nationals. The Leader of the Nationals said once before, when he had a more sensible position on this, that it was a good thing that renewables were coming on. He said:

The disruption that's happening with the technology, moving towards renewable energy, particularly in storage for base load, is exciting. I think it is a good thing.

He also said:

Economics will win out in the end and if base load power can be stored in particular, that's an exciting thing for the environment and everyone's hip pocket.

He says:

In my own electorate, people are self-sustaining through solar. The reality is that type of disruption is happening and that is an exciting thing not only for the environment, but for the hip pocket.

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