Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction. The New South Wales energy minister has said of the government's spending on a gas power plant: 'the government—

should be upfront with the Australian public. Someone's got to pay for it. So why would they be exposing taxpayer dollars … for infrastructure that's not needed?

If the government won't listen to its own energy experts who universally oppose this spending, won't he at least listen to his New South Wales colleague?

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Members on my left.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question, because I think my colleagues in New South Wales are delighted about this project going ahead. In fact, those members who were up there on the weekend saw what the people of the upper Hunter had to say about the Labor Party. They saw that in person.

We are going to lose 1,600 megawatts of capacity when Liddell leaves the market in April 2023, and it needs to be replaced. The good news is we're seeing a major new investment from Energy Australia—a commercial investment, a private-sector investment, from Energy Australia—that will be on in time in 2023 to fill part of that gap in the Illawarra, and I know those members in the Illawarra welcome that project. But that's not enough, because we're losing 1,600 megawatts.

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

The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was a very specific question. It went to the comments of the New South Wales energy minister, Matt Kean. Why is it that this minister won't listen to his New South Wales energy minister colleague in the Liberal Party?

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

The minister has the call. I concur that he needs to be relevant to the question that's asked.

Ms Burney interjecting—

The member for Barton is now warned. I've asked her to stop interjecting a number of times. All interjections are unruly, but interjecting on me is a particularly bad offence! The minister has certainly laid out some context, but he needs to address the question or wind up his answer.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know that the New South Wales energy minister, as with all members of the New South Wales parliament on our side of politics, strongly supports jobs in the Hunter Valley, including those 1,000 jobs at the Tomago smelter that will not stay if the Hunter Power Project does not proceed. Matt Howell, the CEO of that business, has made it absolutely clear that this is essential for the future of those jobs in the Hunter Valley. Those opposite should support it.