Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm not quite sure what the republic and climate change had to do with the questions asked. But what I do know is that every minister who was asked indicated that they supported and continued to support the Prime Minister. As Senator Smith just whispered to me, if that's the strength of the attack by the Labor Party on a day like today, well, we're looking pretty good for the next election.

Sorry, Senator McAllister, I meant to start by congratulating you on your appointment as yet another shadow assistant minister. It's interesting that in opposition you can just keep appointing shadow assistant ministers. Is there anyone over that side—apart from you, Senator Watt, and I can understand why you haven't!—who doesn't have a job? When Mr Shorten has problems, when he knows Mr Albanese is snapping at his heels, what does he do? He buys off a few more members of the caucus by saying, 'Look, I will appoint you to an important job'—yet another shadow assistant minister. And so it goes. You can tell why Mr Shorten chose to do this today—I'm not quite sure. But clearly he is worried about Mr Albanese, and quite frankly I'm worried about Mr Albanese. I just hope you keep Mr Shorten there, because Mr Shorten guarantees us success at the next election, whereas Anthony Albanese, nice fellow, would be a good campaigner. I'm pleased you keep him well under wraps, and long may Mr Shorten continue appointing shadow assistant ministers. You might even get a job, Senator Watt! He must eventually get down there.

But it's interesting that the question of climate change was raised, because the CFMEU, which is not a union that I usually quote—Senator Wong's union, of course—I'm pleased to see has joined forces with the coalition, just as Michael O'Connor did back in 2004 in the forestry debates. I remember, as forestry minister, I sat with Michael O'Connor in the cabinet room and we plotted together to win the election so that we would create jobs for workers. That's what he was interested in, that's what I was interested in and that's what Prime Minister Howard was interested in.

But I see the CFMEU are now back on my side, on our side and on Mr Turnbull's side, saying that the Labor Party's 50 per cent renewable energy target is 'not realistic' and that Labor should instead be backing clean coal options. These are exactly the sorts of comments and urgings that I and most on my side have been making for some time, which I'm pleased to say will be part of the new National Energy Guarantee project as it comes forward. The newspaper report I have here by Jared Owens—I think it's from The Australiansaid, quoting the CFMEU:

"The 50 per cent renewable target is not realistic. Whilst you can build solar and wind generation to achieve the target on paper, what do we expect is going to happen at night?" read the advice to Treasury, released under state Right to Information laws. "During the summer months it is still very warm into the evening … you will have high demand, no solar and potentially little wind generation."

So you'll have to go with base-load clean coal power stations. I'm delighted that the CFMEU have come to that conclusion. If I recall correctly, I think the AWU is also on that trajectory. I wonder how my Queensland colleagues on the other side—Senator Chisholm and Senator Watt—are getting on in their Queensland caucus meetings now that the unions in Queensland are starting to understand that coal generation is important for their members. As we've been saying for years, it's all about jobs for working Australians and for the families of those working Australians. That's why we support a wide mix of energy, but we include clean coal in that. I wonder if the Labor Party is going to continue their opposition to that in the face of a strong campaign by the CFMEU and the AWU, and I think the ETU were also in on the same campaign. It's good to see the unions are eventually joining us in looking after jobs for Australians.