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Tony Abbott attacks 'merchant bankers' gobbledegook' after Turnbull's Neg win – politics live Tony Abbott attacks 'merchant bankers' gobbledegook' after Turnbull's Neg win – politics live
(35 minutes later)
Chris Bowen to Scott Morrison:
A few moments ago in the Senate when finance minister was asked if the treasurer was correct when he says there is no such thing as new, cheap energy with a coal-fired power station. The Minister for Finance replied he was correct at that time. Mr Speaker, if even the finance minister won’t stand by the treasurer, how can the treasurer retain any credibility?
Scott Morrison:
I must collect myself from that withering assault! What I am surprised by is that the shadow treasurer has no clue at all about energy policy whatsoever. He has no idea that if you build a new plant, the cost of capitalising that means the cost of that is going to be higher than an existing plant right now. It is simple economics, simple economics, I commend to the member to actually read up a bit on this topic. We haven’t heard very much on this topic on energy policy.
What we have heard a lot about from the member for McMahon is higher taxes. That is what we have heard about for the member for McMahon. All we hear about from the member for McMahon is not how to get electricity prices down but how to put people’s taxes up. We learnt just recently why he wants to put taxes up so much. Because the member for Rankin recommended a cap. He says he will abolish the limits in the public service. Higher taxes for more desks in Canberra. Not more desks in schools, but more in public servants’ offices here in Canberra. Higher taxes for more public servants. And then he had these are the brainwave. He is going to abolish the efficiency dividend to increase...
He stops and sits down, and says he is finished, before Tony Smith has a chance to tell him he has drifted off topic.
Andrew Wilkie had the crossbencher question and once again, it comes down to the crossbench to ask a question their electorate actually cares about - which is what dixers should be used for.
There has been a meningococcal outbreak in Tasmania, with six cases, one fatal. These infections are preventable. Currently, the Commonwealth limits funding and doesn’t fund the B vaccine at all. Will you fix this and fully fund both vaccines so everyone, not just the wealthy, can be protected against this horrid disease? Prime Minister, will you meet personally with Erica Burleigh*, who was left legally blind by meningococcal B, and who is in the gallery today? She and her friend, Casey Johnston, are the driving force behind a campaign for the B vaccine to be put on the national vaccine schedule.”
Malcolm Turnbull:
I think the honorable member for his question, and I look forward to meeting with Erica and Casey if they have time to do so after Question Time. I want to assure the honorable member that the government makes decisions about vaccines based on the advice of independent experts. We don’t play politics with this issue, and I’m not suggesting the honorable member is but it is very important we do so with the right science, I think you will understand that. When independent experts recommended that we had meningococcal ACWY vaccines, we did, and we are taking action with vaccine manufacturers towards a program to apply for adolescents. Since April we have been negotiating to make this vaccine broadly available in accordance with the recommendation of the experts. It is important to ensure that it meets the advisory committee’s rightly strict cost effectiveness criteria.
The advisory committee also considered another brand for meningococcal ACW Y. The government ... is unable to include a new medicine on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme unless it has first been recommended by the independent pharmaceutical advisory committee. And, an expert medical recommendation.
“I remind the honorable member, that unlike the Labor Party and government can guarantee that the experts on the advisory committee recommend meningococcal B vaccine, we will make it available on the national immunisation program. If the pharmaceutical benefits advisory committee recommends it we will list it. We will not defer it, as will happen under a Labor government.
We urge them to resubmit their application on the earliest opportunity, with more evidence on the effectiveness of the vaccine. All governments, Commonwealth and state, have responsibility for immunisation coverage. States play a critical role in ensuring state -based vaccination programs are in place to help present the wider community from the spread of disease, and across the country states are administering the ACWY program for at risk cohorts, from school-based programs for adolescents to the free clinics set up in Tasmania this month. I know all honorable members will understand the importance of this. We will all remain vigilant and proactive in our joint efforts to combat the spread of these preventable diseases and keep our community safe.”
*apologies for the spelling mistake in the first draft of this post
Michael McCormack just used another three minutes trying to find his QT personality.
He is still looking.
Which is funny, because in the House:
Chris Bowen: “A year ago the Treasurer said: ‘There is no such thing as new cheap energy with a coal-fired power station. Does the Treasurer standby that remark?’
Scott Morrison: “I stand by exactly what I say on this matter because I made a simple observation. You have a new coal-fired power station, it produces ... that is why I am a strong supporter of keeping coal-fired power stations open as long as possible! The only thing I don’t understand is why the member for McMahon wants to shut them down.
Coal-fired power stations remain an important part of the Australian affordable, reliable energy supply. So why does the Labor Party want to shut them down and increase the cost by households is that businesses? What the Labor Party’s plans on electricity will do is to put their prices up. They want to increase the emissions target which will increase power bills forAustralians.
Because they have no plan to deliver affordable, reliable energy. On this side of the house we have a plan. We have a plan that involves the national energy guarantee, that is to deliver on gas supplies for Australia, and remove the legal loopholes. We had a plan to get rid of a carbon tax and we got rid of the carbon tax. They said they would never introduce it and that is exactly what they did. You cannot trust Labor, because under Labor you will always pay more for everything.
Over in the Senate
Jenny McAllister: “A year ago the treasurer said, and I quote: ‘There’s no such thing as new, cheap energy with a coal-fired power station.’ Was the Treasurer correct?”
Mathias Cormann: “He was correct at that time.”
Bill Shorten to Malcolm Turnbull:
(short version) - Will you use taxpayer funds to build a coal-fired power station, yes or no
(I tried this at the Queensland press club last month it went about as well as this)
I thank the honourable member for his question and I am amazed that the Leader of the opposition is going to turn his back on all of those coalminers that are represented by his offices. People that work in coal-fired power stations! The Leader of the Opposition has got to get out of this ideological trap set for him and by the Greens and get on the side of hard-working Australian families and ensure they have lower power bills. Mr Speaker, recommendation number four of the ACCC report would provide government support for any new firm dispatch will power regardless of technology, as long as it is not being delivered or built by one of the big retailers. It would add greater supply. We will see around the country plenty of different technology competing to receive that support and you know what, Mr Speaker, I tell you who’s side we are on, we are on the side of Australian families! They want to pay less for electricity and we are the only parties in this Parliament who have planned for them to do so.
Katharine Murphy, who is in the chamber, tells me that Tony Abbott has just walked in.
Scott Morrison is now using Taylor Swift’s birth year as a time measurement.
There is before Taylor Swift’s birth and after Taylor Swift’s birth.
I think some people might be looking for the second coming in the wrong places.
“Thirty years before Taylor Swift was born, Mr Speaker. That’s how far you have got to go back for a better years of fiscal growth in youth employment in this country! Now, the Labor party might shake that off, Mr Speaker but we are not going to shake it off ...”
You get the idea.
This is why people are #teamkimye
2GB? Sky pre-record? #auspol https://t.co/r6gbIGyWUq
Meanwhile, his statement – which you’ll find a few posts down – is doing the rounds of the opposition front bench.
A secret squirrel has just let me know that Clive Palmer is here, and is at Aussie’s (the parliament cafe inside the security zone).
We hope he and Brian Burston are having some nice chats.
Mike Kelly to Malcolm Turnbull:
“The chief operating minister of Snowy Hydro said new a coal-fired power station would mean it is not viable. Which does the Prime Minister support, Snowy 2 or new coal-fired stations because you can’t have both!”
Turnbull:
I wonder what he feels about his members denigrating the Snowy 2 program. It will provide thousands of jobs in his electorate ... they saw it as a vanity project. It is transforming the prospects of the community the honourable member seeks to represent!
The reality is, the honourable member raises coal-fired power and compares it with Hydro. I saw the Member for Port Adelaide was out there today, talking about renewables and how they were better than coal-fired power. The reality is, the Labor party can have its debates about whether they can have technology. What we are at in favour of is cheaper electricity! That is our commitment! Cheap electricity! The market will work out what is the cheaper model and it may be that Hydro will be cheaper than a new coal-fired power station.
We’ve switched over to the chamber for ‘who’s that MP’ and.....
It’s Andrew Broad.
Who I can not see without remembering his contributions to the marriage equality debate, which involved shading his daughter’s electric guitar playing (“she’s not very good at playing the electric guitar”) and then threatening to send her into people’s homes, because marriage equality was somehow linked to giving up the privacy of your home, or something.
After Alex passed on Mike Bowers’s fashion inspo yesterday (Craig Kelly is a massive sartorial hero of Bowers. Ask anyone), Bowers has returned the favour. (Alex is a vegan. There is legitimately only onions in this roll)After Alex passed on Mike Bowers’s fashion inspo yesterday (Craig Kelly is a massive sartorial hero of Bowers. Ask anyone), Bowers has returned the favour. (Alex is a vegan. There is legitimately only onions in this roll)
Photographer @ellinghausen demonstrates onion roll eating @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus #politcslive pic.twitter.com/Ym04E93tIdPhotographer @ellinghausen demonstrates onion roll eating @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus #politcslive pic.twitter.com/Ym04E93tId
And so has the Climate Council (from its statement):And so has the Climate Council (from its statement):
Climate councillor and energy expert Greg Bourne said the federal government’s proposed policy was originally created as an alternative to a clean energy target with the aim of lowering greenhouse gas pollution levels, but had now been amended to the point of becoming totally unrecognisable as a climate and energy policy.Climate councillor and energy expert Greg Bourne said the federal government’s proposed policy was originally created as an alternative to a clean energy target with the aim of lowering greenhouse gas pollution levels, but had now been amended to the point of becoming totally unrecognisable as a climate and energy policy.
“The national energy guarantee has been trimmed, pulled, poked and prodded to the point that we are now left with a weak and inadequate policy that fails across the board, especially when it comes to effectively tackling climate change,” he said.“The national energy guarantee has been trimmed, pulled, poked and prodded to the point that we are now left with a weak and inadequate policy that fails across the board, especially when it comes to effectively tackling climate change,” he said.
Bourne said should the Neg move through federal parliament, focus must then urgently be placed on developing strong and credible policies committed to cutting Australia’s rising greenhouse gas pollution levels across other sectors such as transport, industry and agriculture to tackle climate change.Bourne said should the Neg move through federal parliament, focus must then urgently be placed on developing strong and credible policies committed to cutting Australia’s rising greenhouse gas pollution levels across other sectors such as transport, industry and agriculture to tackle climate change.
“Australia’s greenhouse gas pollution levels have increased for the past three consecutive years. Today, due to the federal government’s inability to put in place credible climate and energy policy, our greenhouse gas pollution levels (excluding land use) are close to all-time highs,” he said.“Australia’s greenhouse gas pollution levels have increased for the past three consecutive years. Today, due to the federal government’s inability to put in place credible climate and energy policy, our greenhouse gas pollution levels (excluding land use) are close to all-time highs,” he said.
“With the national energy guarantee locking in such woefully inadequate electricity sector emissions cuts of 26% by 2030, we can no longer expect the electricity sector to play its role in cutting pollution through transitioning to clean, affordable, low-cost renewable energy.”“With the national energy guarantee locking in such woefully inadequate electricity sector emissions cuts of 26% by 2030, we can no longer expect the electricity sector to play its role in cutting pollution through transitioning to clean, affordable, low-cost renewable energy.”
Bourne said that, excluding Australia’s biggest polluting sector, electricity, there are seven other major sectors responsible for the nation’s rising greenhouse gas pollution levels. These sectors are transport, stationary energy, agriculture, fugitive emissions, industrial processes, waste and land use.Bourne said that, excluding Australia’s biggest polluting sector, electricity, there are seven other major sectors responsible for the nation’s rising greenhouse gas pollution levels. These sectors are transport, stationary energy, agriculture, fugitive emissions, industrial processes, waste and land use.
“Since 2005, greenhouse gas pollution has skyrocketed in some of these sectors, with transport up 22%, stationary energy up 18% and fugitive emissions up 42%,” he said.“Since 2005, greenhouse gas pollution has skyrocketed in some of these sectors, with transport up 22%, stationary energy up 18% and fugitive emissions up 42%,” he said.
“By restricting the role of clean, low-cost, reliable, renewable energy, the Neg has now locked Australia in to a more challenging, more expensive path to effectively tackling climate change.“By restricting the role of clean, low-cost, reliable, renewable energy, the Neg has now locked Australia in to a more challenging, more expensive path to effectively tackling climate change.
“The Neg means we will now have to double-down on cutting greenhouse gas pollution in sectors like transport and agriculture in order to protect Australians from worsening extreme weather events, including severe heatwaves, bushfires, flooding and drought, driven by accelerating climate change.”“The Neg means we will now have to double-down on cutting greenhouse gas pollution in sectors like transport and agriculture in order to protect Australians from worsening extreme weather events, including severe heatwaves, bushfires, flooding and drought, driven by accelerating climate change.”
Bourne urged states and territories to continue leading the charge on Australia’s transition to clean, affordable and reliable renewable energy, by implementing their strong policies to encourage renewable energy and storage.Bourne urged states and territories to continue leading the charge on Australia’s transition to clean, affordable and reliable renewable energy, by implementing their strong policies to encourage renewable energy and storage.
The IPA has made its position on the Neg clear (from its statement):The IPA has made its position on the Neg clear (from its statement):
“The national energy guarantee puts emissions reductions ahead of reliability and lower energy prices. It is disappointing that this bad policy has proceeded further today,” said Daniel Wild, research fellow at the free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs.“The national energy guarantee puts emissions reductions ahead of reliability and lower energy prices. It is disappointing that this bad policy has proceeded further today,” said Daniel Wild, research fellow at the free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs.
“There is bipartisan support for energy policy which favours high-cost, intermittent, weather-dependent energy generation from wind and solar at the expense of low-cost, dispatchable energy generated from coal.“There is bipartisan support for energy policy which favours high-cost, intermittent, weather-dependent energy generation from wind and solar at the expense of low-cost, dispatchable energy generated from coal.
“There is no policy or political reason why the government needs to reduce emissions. Emissions are coming down under the status quo. Government policy should just focus on lower prices, which means ending subsidies and regulatory favours to wind and solar, and cutting regulation and red tape on coal-fired power stations.”“There is no policy or political reason why the government needs to reduce emissions. Emissions are coming down under the status quo. Government policy should just focus on lower prices, which means ending subsidies and regulatory favours to wind and solar, and cutting regulation and red tape on coal-fired power stations.”
IPA research released yesterday estimated that the cost of Australia meeting its Paris climate agreement emissions reduction targets – which are embedded in the Neg – to be $52bn from 2018-2030. That is the equivalent to funding 22 new hospitals, 20 years’ worth of the Gonski 2.0 education funding and four years’ worth of the NDIS.IPA research released yesterday estimated that the cost of Australia meeting its Paris climate agreement emissions reduction targets – which are embedded in the Neg – to be $52bn from 2018-2030. That is the equivalent to funding 22 new hospitals, 20 years’ worth of the Gonski 2.0 education funding and four years’ worth of the NDIS.
“Following the emissions reduction requirements of the Paris climate agreement will impose significant and irreparable economic damage without delivering an environmental dividend,” Mr Wild said.“Following the emissions reduction requirements of the Paris climate agreement will impose significant and irreparable economic damage without delivering an environmental dividend,” Mr Wild said.
“The immutable law of energy policy is lower emissions mean higher prices.”“The immutable law of energy policy is lower emissions mean higher prices.”
Goodness me, we are just a few minutes out from question time....you know what to do - predictions in the comments.
Malcolm Turnbull said he would be happy to have the emissions reduction target debate with Labor at the next election, to which Mark Butler said:
We agree on something then, because we are happy to have a strong debate within the community in the context of an election about the need for real ambition on energy investment. We know that will create jobs and investment, we know that’s the way to get serious jobs to dangerous, unhealthy pollution from the power sector, and we know from modelling released in recent weeks that this is the way to get downward pressure on wholesale power prices.
The only reason there is downward pressure right now is the big expansion in renewable energy driven by Labor’s renewable energy target. That is what will or won’t happen depending on whether Labor’s plan or Malcolm Turnbull’s plan goes forward.
Mark Butler said Labor will be seeking to amend the Neg (if it passes the states):
We’ve said clearly, if the legislation comes for debate, and that’s subject to Coag processes, it’s our view that the emissions reduction target of 45% should be put in place. The government’s plan of 26% is a reduction of 2% over the course of a decade and will pull through absolutely no new investment, and that will be felt in higher power prices. The Labor party will be arguing for that position in parliament.
The Neg press conference meant the barbecue for a Republic event was interrupted.
Bill Shorten gave a speech – the main takeaway being:
The Labor party in our first term as a government will hold a national referendum. We’ll ask Australians a very straightforward question: do you want to have an Australian head of state?
Now, this question is not the only question for the nation to consider. There are many issues which Australians deal with in their daily lives, from their cost-of-living to their health care.
But merely because Australians have plenty else to think about is not a reason to delay thinking about having an Australian head of state.
The Australian people are capable of engaging in more than one issue at a time and it is well past the hour for Australia to have our own head of state.
Take aways from that extraordinary statement from Tony Abbott:
Yes, as the prime minister said at it’s close, there was party room support for the minister’s position. Much of it though, was of the “yes ... but” variety; congratulating him for the work he’d done in difficult circumstances and saying that the Neg was the best way through a bad situation; but most then added that what really mattered was actually getting prices down – not just talking about modelling – and actually getting more despatchable power into the system via ACCC recommendation 4.
Unfortunately, most explanations of how the Neg (as it stands without price targets) might theoretically get prices down sound like merchant bankers’ gobbledygook.
It was a real pity that the meeting broke up before the chairman of the backbench committee, Craig Kelly, was able to finish his contribution.
Yes, there were lots of pleas for unity, but as one MP said, we’ve got to be loyal to our electorates and to party members too, and not show the “unity of lemmings”.
Yes, there were lots of regards for the “experts” and for “business leaders”, but as one MP said “I’m not here for the technocrats”.
The big question that the party room didn’t really grapple with - when the big emitters are not meeting Paris, why should we? Especially, even as the Chief Scientist said, the difference meeting our target would make is “virtually nothing”.
Annnnnnd then this happened:
I’m not going to release my own comments to the party room, because they were along the lines of my remarks to media on the way into the parliament, but the rampant hostile briefing of journalists while the meeting was underway does require a response. pic.twitter.com/YOfv9PZVQA
A little more Malcolm Turnbull:
Remember it was my action as prime minister that resulted in the gas shortage on the east coast being resolved and that is the big factors that brought down the cost of wholesale generation. It was Josh’s legislation that got rid of the limited-merits review, which, of course, reduces the ability of the owners of the poles and wires to game the system with endless appeals.
In every area you look at, we are seeking to reduce costs. Look at the action we took with the retailers. We hauled them in and said too many people are on your standard offers. You’re taking advantage of them. And they wrote to them and hundreds of thousands of people have switched to more competitive plans or switched suppliers and are now paying less for electricity. Every single element of the supply chain for electricity is being addressed by us to reduce the cost for families and businesses. That’s our commitment and we are demonstrating that our policies are working.
So how important is it that Labor supports this legislation, according to the prime minister?
The Labor party has to decide whether they want to support cheaper and more reliability electricity. You know, we have got to bring an end to the years of ideology and idiocy which have been a curse on energy policy for too long and that is why industry – whether you’re talking about big industrial consumers or small business – consumer groups are calling on government, governments and oppositions to get behind this policy. We need to get a certain environment so that people will invest and that’s really the question for Bill Shorten. Bill Shorten wrote to me last year and in the middle of last year and urged me to adopt a bipartisan approach, you know, a non-political approach to energy policy. Well, he’s got everybody lined up supporting – industry, consumer groups – supporting the national energy guarantee. Now is the time for him to support it and vote for it.
Malcolm Turnbull on whether he’ll tell his colleagues to “stop bagging” the Neg:
I’ll discuss matters with my colleagues directly rather than through your offices. Thank you for the kind offer. But this is a policy which has been the subject of extensive consultation. It’s been discussed at Coalition party room meetings on a number of occasions now, and we have received overwhelming support for it. It’s the policy of the government and it will deliver, as the experts have advised, and as industry have advised us – which is why they’re urging us to get on with it – it will deliver more reliable power and cheaper power. We want to see the corner we have turned on electricity prices, that to continue. We want people’s bills to keep coming down.
The next steps according to Josh Frydenberg:
We’re having telephone hook-up this evening with the states, after which, consistent with their agreement at last Friday’s meeting, the draft exposure of state ledges will be released for comment for a period of a month - and that’s a statutory requirement – and then any necessary amendment also be made. The intention is that all states can agree on the final state legislation implemented in the national energy guarantee before Victoria goes into caretaker mode at the end of October. Now, let me make it very clear, let me make it very clear – the Australian energy market has said that in Victoria last year, there was a 43% chance of load shedding, a euphemism for blackouts. Victoria has the second highest electricity prices in the country. It’s time Daniel Andrews stopped walking both sides of the street and put the interests of Victorians first and the businesses of Victorians first and he would do that by signing up to the national energy guarantee before he goes into caretaker mode.