Matt Canavan: Nationals’ energy policy is cheaper, better and fairer than net zero
Rather than trying to cut our emissions by even more – as the PM proposes – it is time to cut the Australian people a break and dump net zero, writes Nationals Senator Matt Canavan.
When Australian governments signed up to net zero, they promised us lower power prices, more jobs and greater investment from overseas.
None of these things have happened.
Net zero has failed on its own terms.
The Nationals have decided to dump net zero to bring down living costs for Australians and protect our jobs.
The failure of the net zero agenda culminated last month when news broke that more than 1000 people risk losing their jobs this Christmas at the Tomago aluminium smelter.
At the start of this year, Tomago was at the centre of the net zero agenda. The Prime Minister kicked off his campaign there in hi-vis, alongside the workers now facing an uncertain future.
The PM said online, alongside pictures of Tomago workers: “Today we’ve announced support as they (Tomago) switch to cheap, reliable renewable energy. Making more things in Australia, using Australian resources – and acting on climate change. We’re building Australia’s future.”
Just nine months later, Tomago’s owner Rio Tinto has had to admit that “ … all market proposals received so far show future energy prices are not commercially viable”.
How many more failures does net zero have to deliver before the Labor Party wakes up and realises it is failing Australian workers and families?
Since we signed up to net zero, electricity prices have gone up 39 per cent, gas prices are up 46 per cent, and we have lost more than 7000 manufacturing jobs.
Real wages have dropped back to 2011 levels.
In just four years under the net zero yoke, Australia has lost entire industries. We no longer smelt or refine nickel, we cannot make plastics from scratch, and our farmers must import the most important fertiliser used in food production (urea) from overseas, mainly China and the Middle East.
There are more than 70,000 manufacturing jobs now at risk, given our industry’s uncompetitive position.
It is time Australia prioritises protecting these jobs and bringing down prices for Australians. The rest of the world is not rushing headlong towards net zero.
Over the past decade, Australia has been cutting its emissions at a rate double that of the rest of the world.
Rather than cutting our emissions by even more – as the Labor government proposes to do – it is time to cut the Australian people a break.
The Nationals have developed an energy policy that is cheaper, better and fairer. We believe our energy system should produce the lowest power prices for Australians.
Right now, our energy system is not built to achieve the lowest costs and the highest living standards, but to target arbitrary emissions and renewable energy targets.
We should build whatever energy is the best fit for our energy needs.
Rooftop solar and batteries can be useful for households.
But Australian businesses use four times the power that households do.
We cannot run a prosperous, industrial economy on weather-dependent energy. We should use coal-fired power stations to keep Australian manufacturing jobs here.
We need gas for many industrial applications, and hopefully to make plastics and fertiliser again.
Eventually, we need nuclear to help power the data centres necessary to ensure our cybersecurity.
We can still responsibly reduce emissions while doing this.
We should just take a breath and ensure that our emissions reduction plans are achievable and affordable.
The Nationals propose that our future short-term targets should broadly match the reductions that are occurring in comparable, advanced economies such as ours.
This is just basic fairness.
And we should do things better by working with industry to increase their efficiency and reduce emissions, rather than forcing people to buy electric cars or imposing taxes on industry just to meet global goals.
We should not target net zero because even net zero advocates say that it would cost $7-$9 trillion to do this. That amounts to more than $250,000 for every Australian.
If the Prime Minister persists in following the failing net zero path, the least he could do would be to visit Tomago’s workers again and apologise for making false promises that their jobs would be saved by renewable energy.
Or was Labor just using these workers as props for an election campaign, without any interest in putting their job security first?
The net zero push has only achieved one thing – it made us poorer.
We should end pursuit of net zero and instead focus on making sure that our children do not end up having a tougher life than we have had.
Matt Canavan is a Nationals senator for Queensland
‘I wish we had someone like this as PM instead of bumbling Albo’
