Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday the Prime Minister said coal-fired power will be around forever, but the head of the Energy Security Board has said there would be absolutely no way that anybody would be financing a new coal-fired generation plant. Why is the Prime Minister promising coal forever when his own Energy Security Board says coal is more expensive, more polluting and not more reliable? Is it because the Prime Minister doesn't actually determine his government's energy policy but the member for Warringah and Senator Hanson do?

Mr Pasin interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Barker is warned.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable member just reveals in his question the central problem the Labor Party has on energy policy. They want to turn a policy area that should be about engineering and economics into one that is all about ideology and politics. We need to ensure that Australians have the most affordable and cheapest energy possible. That should be the goal of policy, and it must be reliable, and we must meet our international commitments. The National Energy Guarantee achieves all three, and that is why it has such wide support. How retailers meet their obligations and what mix of generation they buy from is up to them. It is up to them and it is up to the market and, as technologies develop, different approaches will be taken.

But the important thing is to maintain a laser-like focus on price and ensure that Australians stop paying too much for energy and electricity. You never hear the Labor Party talking about the cost of electricity. It's all politics. It's all ideology. The objective is lower energy prices. We are starting to see that. We're turning the corner on that. We're making up for the shocking mistakes Labor made with gas and the other shocking mistakes they made. What about in South Australia? It was getting to the point where, for all of their virtue, the Labor government there could say, 'We can generate all of our state's power with wind power.' They were so proud of that. Then the wind dropped and there was no power at all, just a long extension cord to the Latrobe Valley. The total failure of planning and the absence of engineering and economics is Labor's way.

We are committed and determined to ensure that Australians pay less for energy and that energy is reliable. We're turning the corner on that. We're seeing the results in household and business bills. Labor failed on energy. We're getting it right for Australian families.