Barnaby Joyce (New England, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, it seems impossible to divine what the cost of the Capacity Investment Scheme is in the forwards. The Capacity Investment Scheme underwrites the swindle factories, and I think the Australian people have a right to know what it is, so can we get within $5 billion? Is it less than a billion dollars? Is it between $1 billion and $5 billion? Is it between $5 billion and $10 billion? Is it more than $10 billion? Is it part of the $18.2 billion? Just spitball us a number. Give us some idea how much this is going to cost us.

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 his question. The Capacity Investment Scheme is very important for creating jobs and investment across Australia. The auction just last week will unlock $17 billion in private investment and create around 19,000 construction jobs, so it's very important.

In relation to the cost in the budget, the costings are commercial-in-confidence, for reasons that the House would understand. It is an auction and it is appropriate that the taxpayers' interest be respected and defended by keeping it commercial-in-confidence. The member for New England would understand this. When he was in office, he once said, 'I don't believe there's a reason that everyone in the public needs to know commercial-in-confidence agreements in relation to government policy.'