Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is also to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Senator Ayres—it's Ayres day! Delivering cheaper and cleaner electricity is central to the Albanese Labor government's economic agenda. Can the minister confirm that the Australian Energy Regulator cited unreliable coal power plants as a key driver of higher electricity prices?

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's unreliable coal power plants as a key driver of higher electricity prices. Can he also outline why unreliable coal power drives up electricity costs?

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

Senator Grogan, please resume your seat. Senator Grogan is entitled to ask her question in silence.

Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In addition to that first section—I might just quickly run past it again. Can the minister confirm that the Australian Energy Regulator cited unreliable coal power plants as a key driver of higher electricity prices? Why is unreliable coal power driving electricity costs, and why is it a feature of the Australian grid? What is the government doing about it?

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

Thank you, Senator Grogan. It's a very good question indeed, and I'm sure you didn't want to provoke those opposite, who sort of ping around on these questions, perhaps from embarrassment. If only we could have an embarrassment power electricity system. You're right, Senator Grogan. The Australian Energy Regulator has been very clear. Unreliable coal power stations drive electricity costs higher. Those old plants, 24 out of 28 of whom announced or brought forward their closures while those opposite were in government, who did nothing about it, shut down without warning, requiring the use of fast but expensive gas peaking power stations. Just yesterday, on one day, there were three gigawatts of unplanned coal power outages, making electricity more expensive for households and industry.

It's not just the Australian Energy Regulator. Rio Tinto has been clear that the coal power from AGL Bayswater is too expensive after 2028. That's why we are building new generation—15 gigawatts added to the grid since we were elected and 20 gigawatts in the pipeline. We are delivering hundreds of thousands of home batteries, which make bills cheaper for Australians and help support our grid.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

The constant interjections, particularly from you, Senator Canavan, but not you alone, are incredibly disorderly.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

From the National Party.

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

Senator McKenzie, once again you have to have the last word. Minister Ayres deserves to be heard in silence. If you can't give him that respect, leave the chamber.

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

'Deserves' was very generous indeed, President, but I will take that, absolutely. The fact that the National Party want to drag Australia back to that policy gibberish, and these guys aren't prepared to stand up to them—

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

Minister Ayres, please resume your seat. Once again, Senator McKenzie and Senator McDonald, your constant running commentary is completely out of order and it's disrespectful to me, just after I've had to sit the minister down to bring you to order, to start up again. I'm serious. If you can't be quiet, leave the chamber.

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

Where is the courage of the modern Liberal Party? Where is the consistency? Where is somebody who is prepared to stand up in an effective way to this extremist takeover— (Time expired)

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

Senator Grogan, first supplementary?

Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

():  The Albanese Labor government is focused on reform that delivers a structurally lower energy prices. You've stepped out for us how expensive coal-fired power is. What reforms are required to deliver structurally lower prices, and what parts of our community will benefit?

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

Thank you, that's right. Dealing with the wreckage in the energy market that was left by those opposite is the serious business of this government. We need major reform. We need affordable gas in Australia to bring down the cost of gas for industry and the energy system. That's why Ministers Bowen and King are working their way through the gas market review—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

The interjections are beginning again.

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

whose purpose is to try and unravel the mess that was left by the show opposite. We need long-term certainty for electricity investors to make sure that more generation and transmission gets built in regional Australia in cooperation with the farming communities that this rabble opposite are wandering around, stoking division in—mostly with memes imported from far-right extremists overseas that they pretend they made themselves.

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

Senator Grogan, second supplementary?

Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What I'm hearing from Senator Ayres is that cheaper electricity is requiring a disciplined approach, unlike those opposite, and a coherent policy, unlike those opposite. What exactly are the risks if energy policy is incoherent or delivered by an undisciplined government? Could the minister step out for us what those issues might look like?

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

Well, I only have a minute, but the key risk is a return to the investment drought, the disinvestment and the structurally higher prices that are a consequence of the delinquent decade that those opposite were in government. Senator Canavan said in 2019 that electricity prices for manufacturing businesses in Australia had gone up 91 per cent in the last decade. What did he and the Morrison government do about it? In 2020, they gave goodness knows who $3.3 million—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Minister Ayres, please resume your seat. Once again, interjections are disorderly.

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

They gave $3.3 million of public money to Shine Energy—where are they now?—for a coal-fired power station in Collinsville that never got built. Not a sod was turned. I don't think they even put a fence up.

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

Seriously, Senator Canavan. I invite you to leave the chamber.

Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm not going to.

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

If you are going to stay in here, the choice is to listen in silence and be respectful to my directions and my orders.

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

The only thing that would guarantee more expensive power is a plan to reintroduce coal-fired power. I don't know what will be next from this lot—coal-fired trains?