Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

Giving some consideration to Senator Brown’s question, a 10 per cent to 30 per cent decrease in the amount of industry use of energy—given that that is only 40 per cent of the national use—does not rule out any form of energy generation coming online. The government’s position on future energy use is quite clear. We do not rule out any of the energy options. The Greens obviously have a different perspective to the government on that. That is their business. Given that the overall energy needs of Australia are expected to potentially double by 2030, ruling out any energy option is irresponsible. That is the government’s firm view. Considering a potential reduction in energy use by industry of between 10 per cent and 30 per cent, given that industry accounts for only 40 per cent of overall energy use, does not leave room to rule out any energy generation options.