Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

This is the Senate in action—criticised for investments in Middle Arm and then criticised for other project decisions. This government does acknowledge that gas and other fossil fuels will continue to be required to support Australia's energy system, and I think that's important to say to the chamber. I think you see the results of that in the budget, in terms of projects we support, but you also see that we do want to be part of the transformation and the move to a renewable energy future, so you also see decisions like that in the budget.

That is what any responsible government should be doing, at this point in time—making sensible investments, where they stack up. In relation to Middle Arm, it's investing in the general-use facilities that support that infrastructure but also making sensible investments in renewable energy. I think that is the approach the government's taken.

We do acknowledge that gas prices have increased and are going to continue to increase. The government has had a number of responses to that, led by Minister King, which have delivered successfully in the short term on the supply issues, but there is more work to be done through the heads of agreement and looking at the codes of conduct and looking at where we can ensure that people are able to afford their energy bills, and businesses are able to continue to operate in an environment like—