John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Gallacher was quite amazing! What happened to Port Augusta? The renewable energy target was taken to 20 per cent and some 44,000 gigs by the Rudd Labor government, Senator Gallacher. One turbine at Jamestown, where I grew up, gets a $700,000-a-year subsidy for renewable energy certificates. At $82, it spins for eight hours a day at three megawatt-hours. That is $700,000 for a wind turbine before they sell one watt of electricity, so it allows them to sell it cheaply. Yes, the national market is crazy, but why did the Port Augusta coal-fired power station go broke? It was because of the wind turbines and the huge subsidies that everyone is paying for when they pay their power bill.

What amazes me is that the Labor Party and the Greens are on about the clean energy target. I refer to Dr Finkel's recommendation of 42 per cent. You see, the reason the Labor Party and the Greens want a clean energy target that's high is that it means they can drop their carbon tax come the next election. That's what it's all about. If there's not a large clean energy target—and I hope there's not because the cost is too outrageous for business and will shift businesses overseas—the Labor Party will go to the next election saying, 'We'll fix energy; we'll fix the environment; we'll bring in a carbon tax.' It's quite amazing. The whole story of how the Greens are going to block the Adani mine is amazing. There are 621 units of coal-fired power generation being constructed around the world, as I speak now. A unit is one generator. There are 299 units of coal-fired generation being constructed in China now to add to their 2,107 units already operating. Those 299 units of coal-fired generation being constructed in China now will produce 670 million tonnes of CO2. All emissions in Australia total about 550 million tonnes, but let's not sell them clean Australian coal—oh, no, block the coalmines!

The Greens and the Labor Party must realise these coal-fired generators being constructed are going to burn—what? Believe it or not, they're going to burn coal. They're trying to block Australia from providing that coal, so China will use their dirty brown coal, which they're actually a net exporter of, and then buy dirty brown coal off Indonesia. If the Labor Party and the Greens have their way, China won't buy Australia's clean coal from Adani. They won't buy black coal, which is more effective, produces more heat and, hence, produces more electricity. No, we should shut all the mines down here. It's beyond me why the CFMEU donate to the Labor Party—and they've donated to the Greens before as well, by the way. Why have they donated to a party that does not support mining, construction, forestry or energy? Apparently, we're going to change the planet. While everyone's building these coal-fired power generators, we're not going to supply them coal. Of course they're going to get coal from elsewhere. Are we going to change the 1.4 per cent of the world's CO2 that Australia emits? No. It is a green religion that will lead us to the land of poverty. That's what it'll do. The costs are already going up.

A 50 per cent clean energy target is being pursued in Victoria and South Australia, where I grew up—how embarrassing it is. A new battery is going to be built at Jamestown, where I grew up and where my great-great-grandfather settled in the 1800s. The battery will run the state for about 4½ minutes. When things shut down there will be no coal-fired generation—the Hazelwood power station is gone—and South Australia will, once again, become the darkened state. The amazing cost of electricity down there is outrageous. What will we do then? We'll close businesses down in Australia and shift manufacturing businesses overseas, just like we've done in the motor vehicle industry. There are clean energy targets, renewable energy targets, carbon taxes, costs et cetera. You have General Motors America shutting Holden down, Ford America shutting Ford Australia down and Toyota Japan shutting Toyota down and you wonder why.

In this country we wallow in energy, whether it is nuclear, coal or gas, yet we're paying some of the most expensive energy prices of all the OECD countries. What's Labor's solution? It is a 50 per cent clean energy target, a carbon tax and more of the South Australian treatment. It's more of what you've done to the state of South Australia. You've put the costs through the roof and kept the subsidies going. Renewable energy is a good thing and it goes on for a long time, but if renewables want to grow in Australia they must compete on a level playing field, not be paid $700,000 for one wind tower a year. Pensioners and businesses are paying—everyone's paying. This can't go on and we need to change the whole attitude. A 42 per cent clean energy target would also be hugely expensive. Dr Finkel had it wrong about the forecast of energy— (Time expired)