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

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Minister, multinational developers are being allowed to ride roughshod over communities under the government's reckless race to 82 per cent renewables by 2030. The government's own review found that 92 per cent of people affected are dissatisfied with their treatment. Will the minister finally listen to the concerns of communities and establish a proper community consultation and assessment process that protects regional communities against renewable projects?

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

The honourable member refers to the Dyer review of community engagement, which we commissioned for better community engagement about renewable energy rollout in regional Australia. After nine years of inaction by those opposite, we came in and said, 'Community engagement in regional Australia should be improved.' I commissioned Andrew Dyer to write the report. Last Friday, at Grabben Gullen, I released the report with representatives of the National Farmers Federation and Farmers for Climate Action. The chief executive of the National Farmers Federation, at the press conference where we released the report, said this report is a great thing. He said, 'This report is a great thing.'

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

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

We on this side of the House want to see regional Australians benefit from renewable energy. We want to see renewable energy in the best interests of all Australians. What we won't be doing is pausing or having a moratorium—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, the minister for regional development!

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

as the deputy leader, or the Leader of the National Party, has asked for, because the last decade was pause enough.

We saw another example of that last night on the television. I'm not normally one for horror movies, but last night's viewing was pretty compelling. We saw last night the National Energy Guarantee—remember that, one of their 22 energy policies? The same people who killed that are still here sitting in the opposition. We, on this side of House—

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will pause. There's far too much noise. The Leader of the Nationals on a point of order?

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

On relevance: I asked the minister quite clearly and calmly whether he would put in place a proper consultation assessment process to protect regional communities. He didn't get to any of that. He had a report, but he's not acting on it. That's the problem we've got out the front—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat. We don't need the extra commentary at the end of points of order. I will just ask everyone to take the temperature down, including the minister. He has the call.

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

I released the report. I announced we had accepted all nine recommendations in principle, and we will now work with states and territories and local government and communities to implement those recommendations. We also released, on coming to office, new guidelines for better community engagement. I asked the Australian Energy Market Commission to improve the rulemaking for better consultation with regional communities. These are the things we have done which they didn't do.

I can see that the Leader of the National Party has been on a bit of a journey. When he was in government, the Leader of the National Party said, 'Renewable energy—I think it's a good thing.' Then in June last year he said, 'We think there's a place for renewables, on our rooftops and wind towers, but it should be offshore, not near the Great Barrier Reef.' He has supported offshore renewable energy provided it's not near the Great Barrier Reef, where none of our offshore wind zones are. None of our offshore wind zones are near the Great Barrier Reef. Then in August he called renewable energy 'a virus'. He called it a virus! Now he says solar should be the only source of renewable energy. He has been on quite a journey has the Leader of the National Party. Consistency is not his strong point, nor is delivering better outcomes for regional Australia, which we are committed to doing.