House debates Questions without Notice

Budget

Thursday, 5 February 2026 House of Representatives

Barnaby Joyce

Barnaby Joyce New England, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party

2:56 pm

My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer please inform the House of the cost to the Commonwealth budget for 2025-26 for the Commonwealth's Capacity Investment Scheme? To assist the Treasurer, I believe they should be noted within the quantified contingent liabilities.

Jim Chalmers

Jim Chalmers Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer

As the member for New England should know, because the Capacity Investment Scheme involves a number of negotiations, those numbers are not typically published. But I can tell him—

Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting

Milton Dick

Milton Dick Speaker

Order! Members to my left, I want to hear what the Treasurer is saying.

Jim Chalmers

Jim Chalmers Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer

that the Capacity Investment Scheme is unlocking $73 billion in private investment in renewable energy. Now, I know that the member for New England doesn't support renewable energy. But on this side of the House we do, and we account for all of these investments in the usual way.