Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise because, once again, we're in a position where the coalition want to try and lecture Australians about affordability and honesty in the energy transition, as if they have an ounce of credibility left on this topic, as they claim, as they come in here with a straight face and say that there needs to be a much more honest conversation about the cost of transition. Well, let's talk about that honesty, shall we? Let's talk about the transparency of that. Let's talk about who really put Australians in this position, because the truth, on that matter, is very simple.

The biggest costs to our energy system, and the ones that households keep paying for, are from the decade of denial, delay and dysfunction delivered by those opposite. For 10 long years, the coalition ignored experts, ignored industry, ignored the science and ignored absolutely every warning about clinging to ageing coal-fired power stations, while the rest of the world was moving on. The previous speaker, Senator Canavan, loves to have his fantasies about coal. They left Australia dangerously overexposed to those global energy shocks. They left our grid old, fragile and expensive to run; they left us unprepared, and Australians have been paying the price ever since this has been happening. Now, after all the damage that was caused, the coalition have not just walked away from net zero altogether; they've run away from it.

The big, lashing tail of the coalition over there, the Nats, have told the Liberal Party, 'Leave net zero and run in the opposite direction away from that.' They didn't just fail to deliver on a transition; they've now abandoned even pretending to try, which is absolute lunacy. They're the only major political force in the country arguing that Australia should turn its back on the economic opportunities—I see senators from One Nation who'll get up and have a crack in a minute—the cheaper power and the global investment that net zero brings. This is not a plan. It's written on the back of an envelope or a napkin somewhere. That's what they presented to the Australian public. Now the coalition wants to posture as the champions of honesty on power bills. Let me be absolutely crystal clear: every bill spike, every coal breakdown and every bit of energy pain that Australians still feel traces back to their decade of climate infighting—22 policies, I think it was, Senator O'Sullivan.

The Australian Energy Council, representing those companies that run the power system, could not be clearer. They say that the least cost, lowest impact pathway is a grid dominated by renewables and firmed with batteries, gas and pumped hydro. They say that there is broad alignment across industry, contrary to what you hear from that side of the chamber. There is actually broad alignment and that industry want that energy mix that is required to ensure that surety for Australians. They say that Australia's transition is irreversible; there's no turning back—this fantasy that's been built up over there in a little puff of smoke. They say replacing ageing coal with renewable energy is not costless but is still much cheaper in the long run than just investing in more coal. There is no appetite for investment to keep coal-fired power stations. That is the clear message. They say that governments must provide certainty and stability in order to keep energy affordable. That certainty is exactly what the coalition destroyed when they were in power.

There are a couple of points I wanted to make. Senator Dowling gave you all the statistics that you need, but the wholesale electricity prices fell by one third last quarter, and we want to see this flowing through to retail bills soon. The energy experts are united. AEMO says that renewable energy firmed with storage and backed by gas is the lowest cost way to power Australia. The AEMC warns that delaying renewable generation and transmission will put upward pressure on those electricity costs. We need to ensure that renewables push prices down in the future, and policy chaos delivered by those opposite will only push prices up.