6pm debate

26 Oct 2017 10:28 AMMichael Hart

 

 

Queensland Parliament Hansard Green

DATE: 25/10/2017

FILE: 25102017_000329_LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY_GREEN CHAMBER.DOCX

SUBJECT: (no subject found)

MEMBER: Mr HART

Mr HART (Burleigh—LNP) (6.02 pm): I move—

That this House condemns the Palaszczuk government for its increasing reliance on intermittent power and not supporting a new reliable, high-efficiency, low-emission coal-fired power plant in North Queensland which would increase supply, reduce prices and support more jobs.

There is no doubt at all that every policy this failed Labor government has around electricity is causing higher electricity prices. The Gold Coast Bulletin nailed it yesterday when they included this cartoon in the middle of their paper. I table that for the benefit of the House.

Tabled paper: Document titled ‘How the State Government is saving money on electricity’.

That cartoon shows how the state government is saving money on electricity. It shows a bureaucrat asking the Premier, ‘Should we stay up all night trying to come up with a way to reduce power bills?’ The Premier responds, ‘Stuff that. Just buy their votes with 50 bucks or something. I’m going home!’, as she flicks off the light switch in the room. That absolutely sums up what the Labor government thinks about electricity prices.

Flicking off the switch is exactly what has been happening in South Australia. They have a history there of the lights going out and it is all because of the headlong rush, the ideologically driven rush, to a 50 per cent renewable energy target in South Australia. South Australia lost power for a whole day because of their reliance on wind power. Anybody who reads the report into that particular incident will understand that the lights went out in South Australia well before any infrastructure was lost. It was clearly because of their overreliance on that particular power source.

Last night we heard during the debate that an analysis by the Climate Change Authority shows a 50 per cent renewable target by 2030 will cost families on average $192 a year more and will lead to the closing of 15 power stations. Before the minister, the Deputy Premier and the member for Gladstone get up and start rewriting history in this state and start misleading the people of Queensland about what is happening with electricity, why do we not go on a bit of a myth-busting tour? The Labor government has been using electricity as a hidden tax in this state. Honourable members have only to look at their budget to see that the income from their generators has gone up by $410 million. That is exactly how much electricity has gone up in this state. I table that document.

Tabled paper: Document titled ‘Budget Strategy and Outlook 2017-18’.

The Labor Party will not follow our policy to freeze the bonuses of executives in our state owned corporations because they want to see more money come from the generators—

Honourable members interjected.

Mr SPEAKER: Pause the clock. Members! Thank you, Minister. Thank you, everyone.

Mr HART: They want to see this hidden tax continue. That is why they want to see the bonuses for their power executives continue. I am sure the minister will tell honourable members that their 50 per cent renewable target is not going to lead to an increase in electricity prices. However, they have only to look at the credible pathways analysis from their expert panel’s report. Page 68 states—

The Base case (and Linear and Ramp pathways) therefore assumes a proxy carbon emissions reduction cost …

They have a hidden carbon tax in their expert report in every pathway for their 50 per cent renewable target. I will table the two relevant pages.

Tabled paper: Extracts from Queensland Renewable Energy Expert Panel Final Report, pages 68 & 75.

The minister will no doubt tell honourable members that Queensland has had the cheapest spot price since March. That is not true, either. On average, in September Queensland had the second highest price in the nation.

Mr Bailey: That is one month.

Mr HART: Okay. That is one month. However, in October—this month—Queensland has had the highest spot price in the nation. I will table an extract from AEMO’s data dashboard today to prove that.

Tabled paper: Document titled ‘Source: AEMO Data Dashboard’. -001 PAGE: 2

http://ropes/sites/ropes2013/Document Templates/ropes.docx

A 50 per cent renewable target needs to be ditched and this government should support the construction of a new HELE coal-fired power station in North Queensland.