Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. How many thousands of wind turbines and how many millions of solar panels are required to be installed to meet the 82 per cent renewable energy targets your government has set through its expensive and reckless renewable-only energy policy?

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

I thank the honourable member for the question, given the honourable member denies the science of climate change. I'm not sure that he's particularly interested in how we get renewable energy, given he doesn't accept the scientific consensus of 99 per cent of scientists across the world. Nevertheless, I make this point. Firstly, we don't have a renewables-only energy policy. We have a policy to get to 82 per cent renewables, which is backed by gas peaking and firming for the rest of it. Eighty-two is not 100. There is a difference there.

Secondly, our policy is informed by the experts, as is outlined by the Integrated System Plan and GenCost, which we accept. We accept the work of the CSIRO, which is confronting for the member for Flynn and those opposite. We do actually accept the science and the work of the CSIRO, and the Integrated System Plan outlines the pathway to 82 per cent renewables. Those are decisions made primarily by the private sector and investment, as to renewable energy, and by households when they decide to put solar panels on their roofs and a cheaper home battery in their garage, as they are doing in very, very big numbers indeed, which we welcome and those opposite have a big problem with.