Two former LNP parliamentarians have today intervened in the energy policy debate, criticising the Government and raising the stakes. This is serious stuff. Here's my response.
MEDIA RELEASE
Electoral shock treatment needed to restore common sense on electricity
The Government is so captured by political correctness on electricity policy that two of its own former politicians have intervened with shock treatment of their own.
Warnings today from Ian Macfarlane and Ron Boswell that the so-called National Energy Guarantee won’t work without new investment in coal-fired base-load power should cause the government to go back to the drawing board, according to Conservative Party spokesman Lyle Shelton.
“While ever renewables are subsidised by the taxpayer and other forms of energy are not, prices will be high and reliability of supply will be uncertain.”
Mr Shelton said it if the government won’t listen to its own voices it will take electoral shock for common sense to be returned to electricity policy.
“Householders and business can’t afford another lost decade of ideologically-driven energy policy.
“All that the last 10 years have done is driven prices higher and reliability down with no environmental benefit.”
Mr Shelton said it was alarming that a former industry minister, Ian Macfarlane, was warning that it was a “travesty” for a country with Australia’s natural resources to be unable to guarantee supply for industry.
“We are putting Paris above jobs for Australians,” Mr Shelton said.
“Like the Monash Forum warnings, we hear from these two former LNP parliamentarians that the rest of the world is investing in new coal-fired power but Australia is not.
“Common sense is missing from the energy debate and householders and business are the ones who pay.
“If the government is going to ignore its own, the only way to get change is to vote for the Conservative Party in the Senate.”
Mr Shelton said the only language those driven by political correctness know is a threat to their power.
“To keep your power on, take their’s away,” Mr Shelton said.
It had now been 11 days since the LNP won plaudits from the green-left GetUp! organisation for declaring it was planning a "future beyond coal", creating further confusion about Coalition energy policy.
Media contact: Lyle Shelton [email protected]