Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu's illegal strike on Iran led to one of the biggest spikes in the oil price we've ever witnessed yesterday. Brent crude is over $100 a barrel. We refine that into fuels for our vehicles, aeroplanes and so on. Australians and people right around the world are very anxious and concerned about this illegal war and the impact it's going to have on them in their daily lives.

Part of the reason for the big spike in the oil price is a blockade and the risks of getting oil through the Strait of Hormuz. I'll tell you what's not sitting on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, just underneath Iran: solar panels, wind turbines and batteries, and renewable energy generating power and electricity for cars, households and energy independence all around the planet. This is a time when, if we're going to talk about energy security and fuel security, we need to talk about renewable energy. It's not just getting cheap power from the sun and the wind; it's giving us independence from these international shocks that are so disruptive to our economy. We need to have this discussion today.

For the Senate, it shouldn't be a difficult decision for us to have more renewables. I read today that both Senator Pauline Hanson and Senator Matt Canavan have taken up government solar panel subsidies, yet they campaign against renewable energy. Now's the time for them to come out and fess up: there's nothing wrong with renewables, we need more of them, they're cheap and reliable, and they give us independence—bloody beauty!