House debates

Thursday, 13 February 2020

Questions without Notice

Energy

2:41 pm

Photo of Lucy WicksLucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister outline to the House how the Morrison government's consistent beliefs and policies are reducing emissions and reducing electricity prices? Is the Prime Minister aware of the costs associated with any alternative approaches?

2:42 pm

Photo of Scott MorrisonScott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question and her interest in this issue. At the last election we took our Paris commitment to reduce emissions by 26 per cent for 2030. We also went to the last election being able to demonstrate that we were meeting our Kyoto commitments, and those Kyoto commitments this year will be met by 411 million tonnes, exceeding them.

Mr Conroy interjecting

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

The member for Shortland has been warned!

Photo of Scott MorrisonScott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

I can also report that, because of the policies we have pursued and the embrace we've had on technology, we've seen emissions fall by 12.8 per cent. In the last year alone we have seen electricity prices fall by 3½ per cent, and we've seen record investments in renewables and record uptake of solar panels on the homes and roofs of Australian households. Our position and our policy has been based on very clear targets and is proceeding to those targets. We've had clear guidelines as well. We're not going to reduce emissions by putting up people's taxes, we're not going to do it by pushing up electricity prices and we're not going to do it by rolling out extinction of people's jobs in rural and regional communities. I wish there was an alternative that the Labor Party might speak of, but there isn't one at present. They have no alternative policy when it comes to this issue.

When 20 members of the Labor Party gather at the Otis restaurant, what I'm more mystified by is that they can actually find a consistent position of the Leader of the Opposition that they can actually oppose. I'm staggered that they can find any consistency in the Leader of the Opposition's policy on emissions or electricity or coal or any of these things, because he has it each way every day.

My advice to those who are meeting down at the Otis regularly is to just wait until tomorrow, because he'll have another policy. He's going to go odds and evens on climate policy. The member for Hunter will agree with it on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and the member for Sydney can have her days on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. As we go around the chamber, they'll all get their go, because he'll agree with every single one of you on every single position you have. What that says about the Leader of the Opposition is that his each way, every way, every day approach to policy is the reason this leader of the Labor Party can't be trusted any more than the last one. The last one liked to do dodgy deals around lazy Susans. This one is just the same.