Ralph Babet (Victoria, United Australia Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Minister Ayres. Minister, the Capacity Investment Scheme is a revenue-underwriting scheme which uses taxpayer funds to prop up solar, wind and storage projects aimed at forcing the government's 82 per cent renewable electricity target by 2030. The Herald Sun reported yesterday that, through the CIS, taxpayers are underwriting the construction of a $120 million large-scale battery in South Australia run by energy company Pacific Blue, who are wholly owned by the Chinese government's State Power Investment Corporation, or the SPIC. Minister, my question is: how is allowing a foreign, authoritarian government to hold influence over Australia's critical energy infrastructure in our national interest at all?