Josh Frydenberg renews push for sale of Liddell power station

Josh Frydenberg has doubled down on a push to keep Liddell power station open, while taking aim at the Monash forum.

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has spoken on a range of issues facing the government. Picture: AAP

While AGL moves to shut its ageing Liddell power station, energy minister Josh Frydenberg has doubled down on the government’s support for its sale, saying it’s in the “public interest” to keep the NSW generator running beyond its planned 2022 closure.

In an interview on ABC’s Insiders this morning, Mr Frydenberg said discussions with the Australian Energy Market had revealed there would be “a greater likelihood of blackouts if Liddell was to close in 2022,” and as such “the sale of Liddell to a third party would be in the public interest”.

AGL has received an informal approach from Hong Kong-based company, Alinta Energy, to buy the station, which AGL says it wants to keep while it transitions to new power sources.

When asked whether he had phoned AGL directors and criticised management over its position on Liddell, Mr Frydenberg said “we have made it very clear it’s in the interests of the company to consider this offer”.

When Insiders host Barrie Cassidy questioned whether it was “appropriate” for a minister to phone directors and “bag management,” Mr Frydenberg said the prime minister had also spoken to AGL’s chairman, which was “appropriate too”.

Monash forum

The energy minister also supported calls from the Monash family for ginger group, the Monash Forum, to discontinue using the war hero’s name.

Last week, the great-grandchildren of distinguished war general Sir John Monash released a scathing statement calling for the newly created energy lobby group to stop using the Monash name to push for “horse-and-buggy era” energy policies.

They family said it was “discourteous” for the group to use the name without permission, especially as their ancestor would have been “a proponent” of green energy technologies such as wind and solar power.

Mr Frydenberg told Insiders a name change would be the “right thing to do” given the position of the Monash family and the RSL.

“Monash was an engineering and scientific genius and he had a great deal of intellectual curiosity,” Mr Frydenberg said. “I think he would look at the current energy market and see the opportunities in the new technologies”.

Newspoll

As Mr Turnbull potentially confronts losing his 30th Newspoll, Mr Frydenberg doubled down on his support for the prime minister, saying “the leadership is safe with Malcolm Turnbull”.

Mr Frydenberg praised Mr Turnbull for his “good economic leadership” in creating 420,000 jobs in the past year and delivering a cabinet-led government where he consults and considers policy in detail.

“I believe he is doing a really important job in some challenging circumstances,” Mr Frydenberg said. “If you look at his record and if you look at the alternative, it is a clear-cut choice.”

Mr Frydenberg also echoed former prime minister John Howard’s comments last Thursday, saying the Coalition has a “collective responsibility” to ensure “the Labor-Green alternative is not given a chance”.

The energy minister said it was vital the Coalition ensures Bill Shorten “never gets in The Lodge,” as it would negatively impact the savings of Australia’s thrifty middle classes and “the people that are the backbone of our economy and our society