Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Senator Ayres. Under coalition pressure, the Albanese government has finally released volume 1 of the incoming government brief from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. One redacted section notes: 'The DMO points to a further significant increase in retail electricity prices next financial year.' Minister, will you be honest with Australians about how much power prices will continue to skyrocket and further impact Australian households and businesses?

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Until almost the end, Senator Smith, I was about to say, 'It's good to finally see a moderate question about the energy challenges that Australia faces.' You couldn't resist a final little 'skyrocket'. What Australia needs in electricity policy and energy policy is a sense of national purpose coming from this parliament—confidence, certainty and stability. That is what this government has provided over the course of the last three years. We have acted in both substantial and structural terms as we seek to modernise Australia's electricity system. We have sought to act to deal with some of the short-term questions, which is why we had price caps and why we had support for households.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Smith, are you up on a point of order?

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President, my question was very succinct: will the minister be honest with Australians about how much power prices will continue to skyrocket and further impact households and businesses?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Smith. I do believe the minister is being relevant to the question, although it was a bit hard to hear because there was quite a bit of noise. I will listen for the next 35 seconds and, if he's not relevant, I will draw him to the question.

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He said, 'My question was very succinct.' That's like me saying, 'I am very thin.' Honestly! There is serious work to do and a national challenge in making sure that we build a modern electricity system. Senator Smith, I don't know who it was in your team who sought the incoming government brief. They have been provided it. It's been appropriately redacted. That's the way the system works.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Smith, a first supplementary?

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Another redacted section of the brief advises that emissions reductions need to accelerate rapidly to meet the 2030 target, with a strong push needed to finalise your net zero plan. Minister, is this confirmation that Labor's renewables-only policy is failing?

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is, indeed, a misrepresentation to describe the policy proposition adopted by this government, in contrast to the rabble beforehand, as 'renewables only'. Renewables are, of course, the cheapest form of power—plus batteries, hydro and gas. If you can't conceive of what the policy proposition is, it's very difficult—very difficult indeed—to adequately respond to such a misconceived question.

What is absolutely true is that we need additional capacity, generation and transmission, into the system. There is a challenge there to build it. This government is meeting that challenge. And it would be good if some of the odder characters in your show got out of the way of transmission and generation projects. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Smith, second supplementary?

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, 97 per cent of pages in the brief have been redacted at least partially, with nearly half of the pages totally redacted. The Department of Home Affairs incoming government brief, which objectively covers more sensitive information, was released with 76 per cent of pages unredacted. What in this brief is so alarming to the Albanese government that you feel the need to hide it? (Time expired)

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ninety-seven per cent is a stark figure indeed, Senator Smith. That is the number that is attached to the proportion of Australia's trading partners who have their own net zero targets. We are getting on with the job of modernising the electricity system. That is what we are doing.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Smith?

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question was very succinct: what in this brief is so alarming to the Albanese government that they feel the need to hide it?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Smith. You also talked about percentages and a number of pages which were redacted, and the minister is being relevant to the question.

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm delighted to support making sure we get absolutely relevant. Ninety-seven per cent is right. What this government has embarked upon stands in stark contrast to what happened before: disinvestment; degeneration of our capacity, in industrial terms and electricity terms; four gigawatts out of the electricity system; only one gigawatt over the nine miserable years of the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison experiment. We've seen what happens— (Time expired)