Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Leader of the Government representing the Prime Minister. Minister, today the government has acknowledged the failure of our privatised and deregulated energy market and announced some minimal reregulation of energy retailers. It did this about a year after the Greens laid down a plan to reregulate the energy market. You have implemented the bank levy after you ridiculed us about our proposal. You instituted the banking royal commission a few years after our analysis said that it had to be done. Minister, how does it feel to be gradually implementing so much of the Greens' economic policy agenda?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If Senator Di Natale feels so pleased about what he has just outlined, perhaps it is time that he started to support some of our policies for stronger growth and more jobs. It's not too late for the Greens to vote in favour of better opportunities for working families around Australia to get ahead. What I would say to the Greens is: it's time that you help young Australians get better opportunities to find a better job and build a career here in Australia, and to ensure that businesses here in Australia who employ young Australians have the opportunity to compete with businesses in other parts of the world that pay significantly less tax. Senator Di Natale seems to be very happy with the record of achievement of this government, and it's time that he started supported some of our very important pro-growth, pro-jobs, pro-opportunity policies.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, a supplementary question.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister didn't mention at his press conference today the ACCC recommendation to abolish the federal incentive for small-scale rooftop solar. Minister, will you now unequivocally commit for the benefit of those many thousands of households, businesses and installers, that you will not pursue the ACCC recommendation to abolish the incentive for rooftop solar?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister, the Treasurer and the Minister for the Environment and Energy announced the government's response to the ACCC report earlier today. I took the Senate through that in some detail earlier in my response to a question from Senator Wong. I don't have anything further to add.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, a final supplementary question.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently, the Greens released a policy to break up the banks, separating insurance, super and complex financial instruments. We want to see the ACCC become the regulator. We want a state-owned people's bank. How long before we have to wait for the government to adopt these policies?

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I remind senators that supplementary questions need to relate to the substance of the first question. I ask senators to consider that when they're phrasing their supplementary questions.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't have anything to add to my first answer. It's high time that the Greens started supporting some of the important pro-growth, pro-jobs, pro-opportunity policies of the government, and all Australians will be better off.