Dutton fears Australia heading down wrong track on gas
Aussies could be forced to deal with rolling blackouts like those seen in California under the government’s energy plan, Peter Dutton has warned.
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Australia is heading down the track of “rolling blackouts” and rising power prices, Peter Dutton has sensationally warned.
Speaking with Nine on Friday, the opposition leader said he was “worried” the nation was hurling towards a situation similar to the UK, Germany and California.
“The problem with the rhetoric around cheap energy, you know; ‘when the sun’s shining it’s all free’, the fact is that the sun doesn’t shine 24/7,” Mr Dutton said.
“Everybody wants renewables in the system – that’s fine … What I’m worried about is that Labor is marching us down the track that Germany’s in at the moment or that California is in, where they’ve got rolling blackouts and families just can’t afford ever-increasing power prices.
“At the moment, with the system that Labor is promising – to roll out these poles and wires which is going to take decades to distribute the energy that they are talking about – it’s just a pipe dream.”
His comments come a day after AGL brought forward the closure date of its Loy Lang A power station to 2035 and the signing of a new gas deal with major producers.
The government warned on Thursday Australians would not see gas prices return to pre-Ukraine war levels unless exporters agreed to provide extra supply into the domestic market.
Resources Minister Madeleine King cast doubt on the future of new gas development, given the government’s focus on cutting emissions.
Speaking with Nine on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles agreed.
“Cheap energy is renewable energy. And we need to get it online as quickly as we can. And that’s not going to happen overnight,” he said.
“Again, a lost decade in terms of action on renewables and investment in renewable energies is the negative legacy that we’re trying to deal with now.
“We can’t do this overnight, but we can start the job, and we’re doing that.”
Originally published as Dutton fears Australia heading down wrong track on gas
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