Leah Blyth (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Stronger Families and Stronger Communities) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of questions asked by the coalition in question time today, and I will take some of the comments from those opposite in terms of where the coalition stands in relation to energy policy.

Under this Labor government, power bills are up, emissions are up, and productivity has flatlined. We're talking about billions of dollars in rebates with no intrinsic value for the taxpayer. When those opposite stand up and purport that the sun and the wind do not cost anything, I would put to them: why is it going to cost $1.33 trillion just to get solar panels and wind turbines? That number does not include transmission lines. The sun and the wind are going to cost $1.33 trillion. When those opposite put these things to the Australian people—those opposite stood up at the election and said that they would lower power bills by $275. They then came into this chamber and said that they were always expecting power prices to rise. Why did they lie to the Australian people? Why did they mislead the Australian people into believing that they would have cheaper electricity under this Labor government?

This government's reckless pursuit of net zero at any cost is costing Australian businesses. It's costing Australian families. It is costing everyday hardworking taxpayers. We've got this government taking over farmland—agricultural, beautiful, pristine parts of Australia—to put in solar panels and wind turbines. This government is proposing to destroy our natural environment—all in the name of having what they call the cheapest form of energy. And I say: if it is the cheapest form of energy, why have our power bills gone up 23.6 per cent? If this is truly the cheapest form of energy for the Australian people, we should be seeing costs coming down. We are not seeing costs fall.

We are seeing costs rise, and we are seeing costs rise across the board because when electricity is expensive, it's more expensive to do everything. It's more expensive to produce milk. It's more expensive to transport our products. It's more expensive for businesses to keep the lights on. We are seeing inflation go through the roof in our country. We are a wealthy, resource-rich nation, and this Labor government is driving us into poverty. We are going to see living standards fall drastically. That's what productivity tells us. When productivity flatlines, we know that our living standards are the next thing that are going to fall.

On this side of the chamber, we stand for everyday, hardworking Australians. We stand for sensible policy in relation to energy. We stand for sensible policy in relation to the environment, and we will stand every single day with the Australian people to make sure that they have access to cheap, reliable energy. That is something that this Labor government is not able to deliver for the Australian people. Even their own spending in terms of what they are doing to our economy—they are spending at four times the rate of the growth of our economy.

We are expecting to see here in Australia a debt set to reach $1.2 trillion. I have three children, and I worry because my three children are inheriting that debt. I certainly worry about their children, which will be my grandchildren, and what that is going to mean for them. We were the lucky country. That's why my grandparents and my parents migrated here—for the opportunities that were afforded to all Australians who came to our sure. But, when I think about that debt and I think about the impact that that is going to have on my children and my children's children, it scares me.

This out-of-control spending is hurting everyday Australians, and it has to stop. Emissions are up, power bills are up and productivity has flatlined. This Labor government has to accept that they have the policy settings all wrong and the Australian people are the ones who are paying the price. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.