David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is again to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. How many private properties will be impacted by the construction of the 28,000 kilometres of new poles and wires under the government's energy policy?

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

This is the new culture war for the leader of the National Party, and I wish him well on it. If this is the hill he chooses to die on, that's a matter for him. He's referring to the green hydrogen superpower option under the ISP, which was released while they were in office—which was released while they were the government. It's actually a document which had bipartisan support. He refers to the government's 28,000 kilometres of transmission lines. In fact we are seeking to implement the ISP step-change model, so he's talking about something completely fraudulent. Also, we are getting on with the job of better consultation, because what really matters is route selection. There are options for where the routes go. They can go on public land. They can, after appropriate community consultation and appropriate compensation, go on private land—so, I guess, could a nuclear power plant, which the leader of the National Party seems so addicted to.