Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Brandis. When announcing Dr Finkel's clean energy target, Prime Minister Turnbull celebrated its 'technology-agnostic approach'. Today, exactly two years after Prime Minister Turnbull toppled former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, it's reported that Mr Abbott and up to nine of his backbench colleagues will cross the floor if their own government attempts to legislate an energy mix which includes renewables. Does the Prime Minister intend to back away from his commitment to a technology-agnostic mechanism or will he once again give in to the hard Right of his party room?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bilyk, as Senator Cormann observed, you shouldn't believe everything you read in the newspapers. The fact is, as I've tried to explain in this chamber many times, the government's approach is technology-agnostic. We are not going to make the mistake—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't think Tony Abbott thinks that.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

May I finish, please, Senator Wong, without being interjected on? Senator Bilyk, as I've tried to point out in this chamber many, many times, we are not going to make the mistake that the former Labor government made or that the state Labor governments in South Australia and Victoria and Queensland have made of putting ideology ahead of engineering. Our objective, Senator Bilyk, is to ensure that Australian households have reliable and affordable power. That is our objective. We acknowledge, Senator—as, if I may say so, should you—that of course there will be an energy mix. There will be a mix of fossil fuels, including coal. There will be renewables. There will be other energy sources. With the passage of time, no doubt the share of that energy mix from renewables will increase, but, for the time being and for the foreseeable future, coal and other fossil fuels will continue to be a very important part of that energy mix. We are not going to allow either an ideological obsession with coal or a felt need to outflank the Greens in appealing to the green Left ideology to dictate our policy. Our policy is not ideological, unlike yours, Senator Bilyk. Our policy is pragmatic. It is a policy of whatever works to keep the lights on, to keep power as affordable as possible and to keep supply reliable.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bilyk, a supplementary question.

Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Prime Minister Turnbull has twice failed to win agreement in the coalition party room on the clean energy target. Does the Prime Minister still remain committed to implementing a clean energy target by Christmas?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bilyk, I attend meetings of the coalition party room—

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unlike you.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unlike you. The assertion you've made in your question is completely wrong. It is entirely untrue. Whoever has told you that has misled you, Senator Bilyk.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bilyk, a final supplementary question.

Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Isn't it clear that, even two years after Prime Minister Turnbull toppled the former Prime Minister Mr Abbott, the far Right of the coalition are still in control?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bilyk, what you say is absurd. What you say, Senator Bilyk, with all due respect, is absurd. In this important national debate about energy policy, the Turnbull government has commissioned the Finkel report in collaboration, by the way, with state governments, both Labor and coalition, in order to ensure that all the options can be considered in a thoughtful, methodical, careful way. We are making decisions in relation to energy policy; the decisions that your side of politics failed to make when you were in government, as Mr Butler, the shadow minister, has lately conceded; decisions of the kind state Labor governments in South Australia, Victoria and Queensland are refusing to make because they are dictated by an ideology. We are not dictated by ideology. We are dictated by what is in the interests of the Australian consumer.