Kelly Hoare (Charlton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Where will the Prime Minister’s 25 nuclear reactors be sited and where will the nuclear waste dumps go?

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do not have any nuclear power stations. But let me say this: I do have an open mind about the energy needs of Australia in the future. I believe in a confident Australian future. I believe that this nation needs an energy policy that includes every option that will preserve our wealth, continue our economic growth and protect our environment. I believe that the only way we can do that is to look at all of the options. I am not prepared to go backwards like the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition is a great one on going backwards. He wanted to go back on the GST. He wants to go back on workplace relations and he wants to go back on employment changes. My argument is a very simple argument—that is, if we care about a balanced future, about a sustainable future, we look at every option. We do not close our minds.

I am interested to know, of course, where the questioner comes from. She comes from one of the great coalmining areas of Australia. I wonder whether she tells her constituents—those Labor members of the Newcastle council who voted to put a cap on the coalmining industry of the Hunter—about the consequences for Australian industry of the policy being advocated by the member for Grayndler. She probably takes the member for Batman to the Hunter but she never takes the member for Grayndler to the Hunter. The great problem for her is that the man who is making the environmental policy for the Labor Party, the anti coal environment policy of the Labor Party—

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Hall interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Shortland is warned!

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor is anti the coal industry. Labor wants to cripple the Australian coal industry. If you double the MRETs or, worse than that, quadruple them, you are going to put a drain on Australian industry. You are going to make Australian industry less competitive, and that is going to hurt, not assist, the coal industry.

If I were the member who asked me the question, I would be getting up in caucus tomorrow and asking the Leader of the Opposition to disavow the anti coal sentiment of the member for Grayndler and to embrace the skilful, intelligent, far-sighted views of the member for Batman. He speaks common sense on these issues. He speaks for Australia’s future. The rest of his party represent Australia’s past. Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.