Andrew Charlton
Parramatta · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“I rise today to recognise the seniors of Parramatta and the extraordinary contribution they make to our local community. Our seniors built the Parramatta we know today.”
“It's designed for anyone who'd rather keep information on the kitchen table than have to search for everything online. It's a guide that matters, as the government continues to deliver new measures to address the cost of living for older Australians, including cheaper medicines under the PBS.”
“They are materialising around the world, and almost every country that was slow to address the data centre boom has had problems caused by it. The United States let the market lead and is now improvising after-the-fact fixes amid a huge public backlash.”
“To get those benefits we need to shape and shepherd AI to make sure that it works for Australians and not the other way around. Late last year the government released its National AI Plan.”
“Around the world, data centres are pushing up prices in countries where these centres have not been well managed. In the United States, it's already happening.”
“It's important to note that the AI boom is no small thing. The investment now flowing into data centres is on a scale that is difficult to overstate. Moody's expects global data centre investment to reach $3 trillion in the next five years.”
The complete record
Every one of 72 lines we hold for Andrew Charlton, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 1 of 2.
“Parramatta is stronger because of you, and it remains a privilege to stand up for the recognition, respect and support that you deserve.”
“It's designed for anyone who'd rather keep information on the kitchen table than have to search for everything online. It's a guide that matters, as the government continues to deliver new measures to address the cost of living for older Australians, including cheaper medicines under the PBS. Among those at the morning tea were Mrs Jenni Corsaro, the City of Parramatta's Senior Citizen of the Year, and Mr Patrick Byrnes, who I'd previously met when he received air service medals for his service to Australia. Their stories are a reminder of just how much our seniors have given, often quietly, over decades. To the seniors of Parramatta: thank you. Thank you for what you have built, for the generations you have supported and for the communities you continue to enrich.”
“I rise today to recognise the seniors of Parramatta and the extraordinary contribution they make to our local community. Our seniors built the Parramatta we know today. They raised families, started businesses, volunteered, founded cultural and religious communities and helped make our electorate one of the most diverse and vibrant in Australia. Their hard work laid the foundations for the opportunities we enjoy now. Last week's seniors morning tea was the chance to thank them properly. Local seniors came together, reconnected with friends and neighbours and heard practical advice on community safety, scam awareness and local services. It was also where the 2026 Seniors and Pensioners Guide was launched: a single resource covering health care, aged care, government support, concessions and community programs.”
“We must be clear eyed about the risks and the opportunities and make sure that data centres and artificial intelligence benefit all Australians.”
“We can be a country that rents intelligence by the month from foreigners on terms set in another hemisphere, or we can be a country that helps build it, owns the infrastructure, trains the people and shapes and regulates the technology to our own values and our own interests. The choice is not whether the boom arrives; it is whether Australians end up as tenants in someone else's digital future or owners of our own. At its heart, whether we have AI in Australia or not is an issue of sovereignty. When our government activities, our research and our AI models run on Australian soil, we are not a tenant in someone else's economy. And, in a contested region, that is not a luxury. It is about national resilience. That's why this debate matters so much.”
“We expect this build-out to invest in Australians through apprenticeships, training and partnerships with our colleges and universities, so the boom leaves behind a deeper pool of local capability than it found. And the fifth expectation is innovation. We expect the global operators to make their computing power available to Australian start-ups and to partner with Australian researchers, so the benefits of this build out flow to Australian ideas, not merely Australian real estate. This last expectation matters a lot, because it goes to the question underneath all of this: why are we all doing this? The AI economy is coming, whether we are ready or not. What is not settled is our place in that economy.”
“And we expect them to be demand flexible, working with market operators to dial their consumption up and down so they strengthen the grid rather than strain it. These three things—bring your own supply, cover your network costs and be demand flexible—are the triple lock. These are the things that enable us to look Australians in the eye and say that the growth of data centres will not push up your power prices. Energy ministers across the Commonwealth, states and territories are now working together to embed it. The third expectation is water. We expect operators to use efficient, modern cooling systems to draw on recycled and non-potable sources wherever they can. The fourth expectation is workforce and skills.”
“We expect that this investment will build genuine Australian industrial and technological capacity, advancing our sovereignty and security, not simply adding floor space and consuming our resources. The second expectation is energy, and it's at the heart of this framework. Here we are applying our triple lock. The first component of that lock is that we require data centres to bring their own renewable energy supply, underwriting fresh generation rather than drawing down power that households and businesses are relying on. Second, we expect them to pay their full share of grid connection to cover the cost of the poles, wires and transformers they require and make sure that those costs are not passed on to people's bills.”
“They are a plain statement of what we expect in return for access to our grid, our land and our market. They're framed as expectations, as the honourable member pointed out, because they cover areas of responsibility that intersect with state, territory and local governments. For that reason, as a federal government, our approach has been to outline our expectations first, which we've done, and then work with other jurisdictions to create alignment and certainty to make these expectations binding across the Commonwealth. That is the path we have laid out and the path we are making progress on. Let me lay out what these five expectations do. The first expectation is the national interest.”
“They are materialising around the world, and almost every country that was slow to address the data centre boom has had problems caused by it. The United States let the market lead and is now improvising after-the-fact fixes amid a huge public backlash. Ireland let data centres pass 10 per cent of national energy demand before the grid around Dublin seized up and new connections were frozen. Singapore has had to halt approvals. The pattern around the world is unmistakeable. The countries that were slow to manage the costs were the ones that faced the worst consequences, so that's exactly what our approach in Australia addresses. Under the National AI plan 2025 , we've released our expectations of data centres and AI infrastructure developers. These are not red tape. They are the foundation of the sector's social licence to operate here.”
“Data centres use around one-one-hundredth of what mining uses, but that use can be locally acute, and some communities overseas found that out when taps ran dry during construction of data centres near them. There are also community concerns about the noise of data centre clusters, their visual impact and industrial sites built close to homes. These are real concerns and they deserve real answers. We've seen it here in Sydney. A single proposed data centre in suburban Sydney drew a record 374 objections and just nine submissions in support. Residents were worried about noise, diesel generators and a facility that is barely 160 metres from a local primary school. These risks from data centres are not theoretical.”
“Around the world, data centres are pushing up prices in countries where these centres have not been well managed. In the United States, it's already happening. In the PJM grid, one of the largest in the country, the Independent Market Monitor attributed more than half of one year's surge in capacity prices to data centres—more than US$9 billion in additional power prices billed straight back to households. We cannot let this happen in Australia, and we need to act early to make sure that it doesn't. Today, data centres use around two per cent of the electricity in our National Electricity Market. That sounds modest, but the trajectory is steep and, if demand arrives faster than new supply, the consequence is obvious: prices rise and households feel it. There are also concerns about water. Nationally, the volume is still small.”
“It's important to note that the AI boom is no small thing. The investment now flowing into data centres is on a scale that is difficult to overstate. Moody's expects global data centre investment to reach $3 trillion in the next five years. For Australia, this boom could ultimately prove to be bigger and more consequential than the mining boom—a boom that shaped our prosperity for a generation. The question isn't whether the boom is coming; the question is: on what terms do we let it in? The government's approach is not to be boosters of AI and not to be naysayers. We want to be pragmatic, and we need to be clear-eyed about both the big risks and the big opportunities that flow from this boom. Let me be clear about the risks first, because they are real and Australians can see them. First, let's talk about energy.”
“To get those benefits we need to shape and shepherd AI to make sure that it works for Australians and not the other way around. Late last year the government released its National AI Plan. It set out a simple proposition that the role of government is neither to stand back and hope nor to stand in the way; our role is to ensure that AI develops in line with Australian values, Australian laws and Australian interests. As part of that plan, we've set out a set of clear expectations for the companies building the physical foundation of the AI economy: data centres. Those expectations include what I call a triple lock on energy. There'll be members of this parliament who want to pretend that we can stop or ignore AI. I think that's irresponsible. AI is here. The arrow is loose from the bow. Our job is to make sure we benefit from it.”
“I thank the member for Warringah for this matter of public importance, and I thank her and many members of the crossbench for the way they've engaged in this issue, balancing both the risks and the opportunities. The question of how Australia approaches data centres is an important one for our nation. It's important in part because of what's inside those data centres: artificial intelligence, which is going to be one of the most consequential technologies in our economy over the next several decades. In the 19th century, economic power rested on coal and in the 20th century on oil, and in the 21st century it will rest on computation. AI is the issue; data centres are simply where the AI happens. The Albanese Labor government is determined to ensure that all Australians benefit from AI.”
“These young leaders spent the day inside our democracy, attending question time, working alongside parliamentary staff and developing a formal communique with practical policy ideas for government. They also presented the Prime Minister with a cedar tree to be planted at the Lodge as a symbol of endurance, hope and the deep roots of this community. These are young Australians stepping forward to lead, in community life, in business, in public service and beyond. Their voices deserve to be heard, and their ideas deserve a genuine response.”
“That's why giving young people a seat at the table matters so much. Multiculturalism in Australia is not about asking people to leave part of themselves behind; it's about recognising that our country is stronger because of the cultures, faiths and histories that people bring with them. Many of the young people at this summit were born and raised here. They're proudly Australian, proudly Lebanese and proudly Maronite, and those identities enrich our national story. The summit was joined by the Prime Minister, senior ministers, the Speaker of the House and colleagues from across the parliament, a powerful sign that the government values and respects the Maronite community.”
“Last year we brought Maronite leaders into parliament, and this year we brought the next generation. Led by Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, Maronite Youth Australia and the Lebanese ambassador, the summit gathered 30 young Maronite Australians from across the country, including many from Parramatta, to speak directly with political leaders about the future they want to see. The conversations could not have been more important. They spoke about strengthening Australia's social cohesion, supporting Lebanon and the Middle East at this difficult time, creating opportunity for young Australians and ensuring that their generation has a genuine voice in national life. For many Lebanese Australians, the events unfolding in Lebanon are not distant headlines; they are deeply personal. Families in Parramatta carry that worry every day.”
“Yesterday, the corridors of Parliament House were filled with something we need more of in public life: young people with optimism, purpose and a determination to shape Australia's future. I had the honour of hosting the first ever Maronite Youth in Parliament Summit, and it was a reminder of the enormous contribution that the Maronite community makes to our country. In my electorate of Parramatta stands the Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral at Harris Park, the largest Maronite church in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the great centres of Lebanese Australian life. For more than four decades it has been where families gather, traditions are passed on, faith is kept alive and community is built. Maronite Australians have helped shape modern Australia, and Western Sydney would not be the same without them.”
“I've launched a community petition to support this call, and I encourage every Australian who values their heritage to add their name to that petition.”
“A great city must value its past as much as its future. The significance of these buildings extends to the land around them. Decades of deliberate effort have gone into restoring this landscape to an authentic rural setting. Houses were demolished, roads rerouted and land carefully acquired. That painstaking work makes the threat of this development all the more devastating. Parramatta has fought for its heritage before, and it will fight again. Hambledon Cottage was twice threatened with demolition in the mid-20th century, earmarked for factories and saved only by community action. We saved it then. We cannot afford to lose it now. That is why I am engaging with the Australian Heritage Council to urgently finalise its assessment and working with Minister Murray Watt to prioritise national heritage recognition without delay.”
“No other precinct in Australia holds that combination so intact in such close proximity, and now it is under threat. A proposed development of 483 multistory dwellings at Gregory Place risks permanently altering this heritage landscape—its sightlines, its archaeological fabric and the skyline that frames Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral. This is Australia's largest Maronite Catholic parish—30,000 people and four decades of community. It's where Lebanese Australians baptise their children, keep their language alive and gather as a community. To place a development of this scale on that horizon would be a profound intrusion. Parramatta has the highest number of housing approvals in New South Wales, and I'm proud of that. We're not against housing. Housing matters. But growth without memory is not progress.”
“I rise today to speak about an issue of profound importance to my community: the protection of Parramatta's colonial heritage. Three of Australia's most historically significant colonial sites, in Parramatta, are currently under assessment for inclusion on the National Heritage List. The first is Elizabeth Farm, the oldest surviving European building in Australia and birthplace of the merino wool industry, built by John and Elizabeth Macarthur. Elizabeth's story, in particular, stands as a testament to the women who helped found this nation. The second is Experiment Farm Cottage, where James Ruse, the first former convict to receive a land grant, proved the colony could feed itself. The third, Hambledon Cottage, one of Australia's most intact early colonial homes, offers a rare glimpse into domestic life in the 1800s.”
“You want a leader who's slow to criticise and quick to praise. Good leaders are there with encouragement. They recognise colleagues when they do the right thing, and this is something that the Leader of the Opposition certainly has done. In 2019, when more than a thousand new carparking spaces for commuters were delivered at Campbelltown Station, the Leader of the Opposition was there with a positive, encouraging word on that achievement. He jumped straight on to Facebook: 'Fantastic. Great move. Well done, Angus.'”
“You couldn't make it up—an energy minister who pursues net zero then dumps it when political expediency suits him and he wants to tear down the leader in front of him, an energy minister who conceals from the Australian people the most important information about their energy price rises, someone who not only conceals it but then misleads the Australian people in relation to that information, and someone who had 22 energy policies during his time as energy minister and didn't stick a single one of them. This is a person who has been in parliament for a long time with very limited achievements. He's good at coming up with new policies, much less good at delivering them. The only good quality of the Leader of the Opposition is that, I have to say, he does support his colleagues, and this is an important quality of leadership, friends.”
“This is a man who rose to become the leader of the Liberal Party on the basis of his great crusade to get rid of net zero. That's what he's passionate about. That's what he believes in. When you peel back the onion, right at its core is opposition to net zero. He's a conviction politician. Those convictions have come recently. In 2020, this is what the current leader of the opposition said: We are obviously committed to global net zero, that's in the Paris Agreement, we absolutely share that commitment … many times we— have said— we want to get there as soon as possible. The person who's claim to the Liberal leadership was his passionate conviction about net zero has only had that conviction for a few years. A few years ago, he was talking up his own trajectory towards that same goal.”
“I didn't see it.' Well, this wasn't entirely accurate, friends. On 1 November, just a few months later, he finally fessed up. Better late than never. He was asked a direct question, 'Did you sign the regulation delaying the notification of the price rise?' in the National Press Club. He finally gave the truth, 'I did,' said the current leader of the opposition. Honesty is an essential element of leadership. Trust in Australia's leaders is an important quality. Integrity is essential to what Australians want in their political leaders, and, consistently, time and time again, the Leader of the Opposition has failed to deliver that honesty, failed to deliver that integrity and failed to gain the trust of the Australian people. Not only does this Leader of the Opposition lack trust and integrity but he also lacks conviction.”
“This man was a minister of the Crown, a man who puts the 'horrific' in 'honorific' and someone who doesn't deserve to hold that role if he can't even be honest about the basic facts in his own portfolio. Even worse, friends, when he was caught out for this action, when it was revealed that he had hidden this information from the Australian people, instead of being upfront about it, instead of admitting that he'd messed up, that he'd withheld this information from the Australian people, he tried to obfuscate. On 26 October 2022, the Leader of the Opposition was asked if he knew before the election that prices would rise, and he replied, 'No, I didn't.' Then, he told Sky News that the price rise notice was something from the AER, the Australian Energy Regulator, 'It puts it out,' he said, 'not me; it's nothing to do with me.”
“When it comes to that, the Leader of the Opposition has got a little bit of work to do. This is the Leader of the Opposition who, in 2022, when he was the Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction, because of his incompetence and because of how badly he had stewarded the nation's energy system, left energy prices rising by more than 10 per cent. Instead of being upfront about his failures, telling the truth to the Australian people about the energy bill shock he was about to inflict on them. Instead of being transparent on 7 April 2022, he amended regulations so that that offer would not be released until after the election. Can you believe it? The energy minister of Australia, on one of the most important issues in his portfolio, immediately before an election, chooses to conceal this information from the Australian people.”
“We are in the white water, navigating through choppy currents with decisive action while they are shouting from the bank. The Australian people know that that is not leadership. The Australian people know that they shouldn't invest their vote in a party that doesn't have any solutions, only complaints. That is why they are losing voters to One Nation in droves. It is a bit hard to take a lecture on leadership from the Leader of the Opposition. Let's walk through some qualities of leadership that any Australian would describe or want some leader to be. One quality of leadership that Australians would want in somebody who claims to be an alternative prime minister of this country is trust. They'd want to know they were voting for someone who they could trust, someone who tells the truth and someone who is upfront.”
“Australians are looking at this as an alternative party of government and saying: 'If you've got no solutions to the crisis that we're in, if you're unwilling to play any constructive role and if you want to paint yourself as just a party of complaint, then why would I bother voting for you? I may as well vote for the genuine party of complaint, One Nation.' If they want a rock thrower, they'll find a rock thrower in One Nation. The truth is that that is the reason why Australians are moving in droves from the Liberals to One Nation. If the Liberal Party has abandoned its claim to be a real alternative party of government, then why would any Australian vote for them? In the Labor Party, we are dealing with this challenge.”
“Then he comes into this House and suggests a matter of public importance related to leadership! Well, friends, this is a masterclass in bad leadership from the Leader of the Opposition. If you want to know why Australians are moving in their droves from the Liberals to One Nation, this is an example of why. They're moving because, in a national crisis, the Leader of the Opposition, a person who purports to be the alternative prime minister, somebody who says they could be in government, is offering no solutions, only slogans and a litany of complaints without a single constructive suggestion. He's big on blame, blank on policy.”
“As a contrast to the leadership provided by the Prime Minister and the Albanese government, let's do a quick review on the conduct of the Leader of the Opposition during this crisis. Friends, I wouldn't call the way that he has carried on textbook leadership. This is a man who let four out of six Australian refineries close under his leadership, when he was the energy minister, placing Australia in the precarious position that we currently find ourselves in. This is the man who made Australian fuel reserves locate to Texas, where they would have been of no use to us in this crisis. Yet here he is complaining about the current situation as if he had nothing to do with it. The hypocrisy, the gall, the front—you couldn't make it up. In a time of crisis, this leader of the opposition has been playing politics and creating fear.”
“It is true that Australians want strong and principled leadership. That leadership is never more important than in a crisis, and that's why that leadership is exactly what the Albanese government has been providing in this crisis. We have taken swift action to put our reserves onshore, to release 20 per cent of those reserves and to change fuel standards so that more of Australia's fuel stays in Australia. We've done a deal to make sure that that fuel gets where it needs to be in the regions. We've got the ACCC to police price gouging. We've appointed a fuel coordinator to work with the states, and, now, the Prime Minister is convening National Cabinet to provide national leadership. Colleagues, this is leadership. This is action. This is taking responsibility in a crisis. This is what serious times require.”
“We honour those lost by strengthening the bonds between us, by standing with communities who feel afraid and by reaffirming that no act of hatred will ever define who we are. On behalf of my local community in Parramatta, I express our profound sorrow and our unwavering solidarity with the Jewish community. May the families of the victims find comfort in the knowledge that the nation grieves with them. May we honour those we have lost by continuing the work of building a safer, fairer and more united Australia.”
“The Australian government has acted, in the wake of the Bondi attack, to support public safety and community recovery. Assistance services have been deployed. The recommendations of the antisemitism envoy's report are being adopted. Law enforcement and security agencies are working closely with states to strengthen protections and provide clear information to the public. But laws and security measures, while necessary, are not enough on their own. We must also protect the cohesion of our multicultural society. Terrorism thrives when communities are isolated, when members of the community are set against each other, and terrorism fails when people stand together. While we cannot undo what has been taken, we can choose how we respond.”
“It was a simple act, but it sent a powerful message: hatred has no place in our suburbs, and our response to violence is solidarity. I also visited the Parramatta synagogue during Hanukkah, a time traditionally marked by light and reflection but this time shrouded in darkness and sadness. I want place on record my thanks to Rabbi Roni Cohavi, who leads that congregation with calm, dignity and a deep commitment to community wellbeing, even in moments of profound distress. These moments of solidarity matter—a vigil in Harris Park, a conversation in a synagogue during Hanukkah, neighbours checking in on one another across lines of faith and culture. They remind us that social cohesion is not something declared by governments alone; it is something that Australians must actively choose, especially when it is tested.”
“As a parliament we affirm that violence will not fracture the free, open and multicultural society we have worked so hard to build in this country. Our national response must be grounded in our shared values as Australians: respect for one another, dignity for all faiths, and the belief that diversity is a source of strength. Those values are not abstract. They are lived everyday by everyday people in communities across the country, including in my own electorate of Parramatta, one of the most diverse electorates in this country. In Parramatta, in the days following the attack, our local community came together. Members of the subcontinental community organised a vigil in Harris Park, lighting candles and placing them on the pavement, standing publicly and peacefully with the Jewish community.”
“Today we join as a parliament united in grief. The recent terror attack at Bondi has taken 15 Australians—15 lives, young and old, each precious and each irreplaceable. And we extend our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones and to the Jewish community, who carry a weight of sorrow that no words in this chamber can fully ease. What happened on 14 December was an antisemitic attack, and we reaffirm today that an attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on all Australians. In the face of this tragedy, we honour the bravery of the first responders, the bystanders and the members of the public who stepped forward in moments of unimaginable fear—ordinary people who ran towards extraordinary danger. Their courage and selflessness remind us that, even in the darkest moments, the Australian spirit is defined by care for others.”
“This project, which has been many years in the making, is one that will become a cornerstone of Tamil cultural life in our community. But this is only one step towards supporting the community, and our work is ongoing. I want to wish everybody a happy Tamil Heritage Month.”
“The Sydney Murugan Temple holds deep significance for Tamil Hindus but also for the broader Hindu community in Australia. The new cultural hall will include a 800-seat function hall and a 600-seat dining area, as well as foyers, learning rooms, a library and meeting rooms. Our government's $7 million commitment to this hall reflects our recognition of the temple's significance, not only as a place of worship but as a vital centre of common community connection. It's a space for language classes, senior social groups, youth education and cultural preservation, and it provides an opportunity to pass down Tamil music, dance, literature and art to younger generations. I'm proud to say that work has begun. In August I had the honour of joining community leaders and families for the sod-turning for the cultural hall.”
“It's about fostering a sense of belonging and giving Tamil Australians the confidence to fully participate in Australia's democratic and social life. My electorate of Parramatta is one of the most culturally diverse electorates in the country, with 55 per cent of residents born overseas. It's also home to one of the largest Tamil-speaking communities in Australia. As this population grows, we have a responsibility to support the community and help preserve this ancient culture. That's why I've always advocated for greater support for the spaces and institutions that allow this vibrant culture to thrive. That's why, this year, the Albanese government made the commitment to deliver $7 million in federal funding towards a new cultural hall at the Mays Hill Murugan temple.”
“I rise today in the Australian parliament to advocate for the recognition of Australia's Tamil community, one of the fastest growing and most dynamic communities in our country. One year ago, in parliament, I called for January to be declared Tamil heritage month across Australia, to coincide with the significant harvest festival, Thai Pongal. As I said this time last year, Tamil heritage month is an opportunity to celebrate Australia's rich multicultural tapestry, honour Tamil contributions and ensure the ongoing vibrancy of one of the world's oldest living cultures. Tamil Australians are highly educated and entrepreneurial and make significant contributions across industries such as health, engineering, IT, education and small business. But it's about more than economics; it's about nation building.”
“by leave—I move: That: (1) Mr Wallace be discharged from the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade; and (2) Mr Hastie be discharged from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. Question agreed to.”
“I was sitting in this very seat listening to the member for Dawson, who said it was a good idea that finally we had stepped up and the government was supporting the smelters but we needed to outline our plan for the rest of the sector. It is terrific to have the member for Dawson's support. I just wish he'd remained in the chamber for five minutes to listen to his colleague the member for Cook, who said these industries should be standing on their own two feet. He described today's announcement as a symptom of subsidy tendency and opposed the support that the government has provided to the Mount Isa smelter. Again, on issue after issue, the coalition is in absolute disarray. (Time expired)”
“The uncertainty in energy policy that the coalition has produced over the last 15 years has reduced investment in the energy sector in generation and in transmission. The member for Cook came into this chamber just a few minutes ago and explained to us that many businesses in his electorate are suffering higher energy prices. Well, he should ask his colleagues why they failed to invest in generation and transmission during the nine years that they were in office. Today, the minister for industry made an important decision to protect Australian smelters, specifically the Mount Isa smelter. What we've seen just in the last 10 minutes has been extraordinary disarray on the part of the coalition.”
“They've got Barnaby Joyce, who is talking about leaving net zero. Today, just after question time, the member for Flynn gave us a highly entertaining but factually very bereft lecture on the causes of climate change. The member for Flynn told us that climate change is happening—he'll accept that; he does have a thermometer—but that it's not caused by humans. In his words, it's caused by 'natural fluctuations'. How can Australian industry plan for the future if they have absolutely no certainty about the energy policy that would be coming from the alternative Australian government and if they can't even see the alternative Australian government agreeing on whether climate change is caused by humans or not? This uncertainty has real consequences.”
“We are yet to hear whether the coalition support or oppose this support, despite the fact that the NRF has allocated $1 billion to critical technologies for Australia's future. The second way in which the coalition have been damaging Australian industry policy is by undermining investment certainty. This is nowhere more significant than on energy policy. You can't promote investment in Australian industry with uncertainty in energy policy. It's impossible for businesses to invest if they don't know the energy policy settings and they don't know the price of subsequent energy. But in this country, at the moment, we have a Liberal Party that is reducing the certainty that Australian business has on energy policy. On the one hand, they've got the leader, who is talking about sticking with net zero.”
“It was the Liberal Party that opposed the energy transition and, in fact, were only able to produce 22 discarded energy policies. When it comes to looking for Liberal Party bad calls on the economy, it is, as they say, a target-rich environment. You might think that it would've learned its lesson, but, unfortunately, the Liberal Party is still damaging Australian industry from opposition. Like one of those zombies that never dies, it's still reaching from two horrific electoral defeats to continuing to oppose the Labor government's policies in a number of areas. Firstly, the Liberal Party has been opposing the NRF. This is despite the fact that the NRF has invested $660 million in local manufacturing.”
“It is very difficult to sit here and listen to the Liberal Party give us a lecture on Australia's economic policy. That's because the Liberal Party, over their recent history, have always got the big calls in Australian economic policy wrong. Let's remember that it was the Liberal Party that opposed the floating of the dollar in the 1980s. They opposed superannuation in the 1990s. They voted against the fiscal stimulus that saved Australia from recession in the global financial crisis. It was the Liberal Party that voted against the NBN in the 2000s. It was the Liberal Party that allowed the car industry—indeed, they dared the car industry—to leave in the 2010s. It was the Liberal Party that failed on any measure of budget repair during their nine years in office. They were unable to deliver a single budget surplus.”