TRANSCRIPT - ABC Afternoon Briefing with Greg Jennett

PAUL FLETCHER MP

Shadow Minister for Science and the Arts

Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy

Manager of Opposition Business in the House

TRANSCRIPT

ABC Afternoon Briefing 

5 December 2024

Greg Jennett: Okay, now, as we pointed to off the top today, the Coalition's adopting a tougher line against offshore wind power generation. Peter Dutton's ruling out any support for the development of zones identified off the coast, in particular near to and north of Newcastle. To cover this, and a bit more as well, Coalition frontbencher and regular guest Paul Fletcher joins us now. Paul, welcome back to the program. Why don't we start out there on offshore wind. So your leader’s reiterated today would not continue any planning around this. And yet it was the Morrison government that established offshore wind introducing legislation in 2022. Why the change of heart? 

Paul Fletcher: Well, Greg, good to be with you. And yes, Peter Dutton has stood up with Laurence Antcliff, our candidate for Paterson, to say that a Dutton government would abolish the Port Stephens offshore wind zone. There's been wholly inadequate consultation. It's been steamrollered through. And many small businesses, tourist businesses, others in Port Stephens, in Newcastle, in the Hunter don't want this, but Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen are more interested in the votes of inner city Greens than they are in the interests of the community of Paterson. But Laurence Antcliff, our Liberal for Paterson, is standing up for his community. 

Greg Jennett: No generation firm has actually made final investment decisions on any project in that zone or any other that I'm aware of. So why do you need to pull the rug out from underneath them? Couldn't you just let the market go wherever it chooses to go here?

Paul Fletcher: Because it's clear that this consultation process was rushed. It was a sham. There wasn't a genuine opportunity for many locals to comment, and people are very disenchanted and very unhappy with this. So this the democratic process at work. Laurence Antcliff, our Liberal candidate for Paterson, together with Ted O'Brien, our energy spokesman, and Peter Dutton, our leader, have made it clear today that a Dutton Liberal government would revoke the Port Stephens offshore wind zone because of concerns about the impact on local tourism, local amenity, concerns about the impact on whales and other factors that the local community is very concerned about that were not properly taken account of in what was essentially a sham consultation, because Mr. Bowen was more interested in appealing to the votes of inner city Greens than caring about the community of Port Stephens, Newcastle and the Hunter Valley.

Greg Jennett: Okay, just a point of clarification. Today's announcement only relates to that zone, does it? I mean, there are plenty more scattered all around the coastline. 

Paul Fletcher: That has been a clear announcement about the Port Stephens offshore wind zone today, from Peter Dutton, from Ted O'Brien and from Laurence Antcliff, Liberal for Paterson. 

Greg Jennett: Okay. All right. On a related issue, I suppose environmental laws, sometimes known as nature positive laws, you might have seen Paul Fletcher a story's gone Up, written by our ABC colleague Jacob Greber this afternoon, in which BHP laments the failure of nature positive laws and does argue the need for a new permitting system, especially for emerging critical minerals industries. Have you not left them in the lurch by not rigorously examining and or supporting the government's proposals here? 

Paul Fletcher: Well, the comments from Geraldine Slattery of BHP highlighted the problems with this Labor government's approach. And of course, critical minerals are very important to Australia's economic future and the future of our allies. Once again, the Albanese Labor government is not properly balancing up the considerations here. Rushing to achieve, seek to achieve outcomes, to secure votes of inner city people who otherwise they're worried would drift to the Greens. And of course, all of that is compounded the chaos and mismanagement by the battle between Mr. Albanese and Ms Plibersek, his long term left rival for the leadership. So at the same time, companies are trying to have the certainty to invest and generate employment, very, very important and sadly at real risk. 

Greg Jennett: All right. Well BHP will we'll have to wait. I guess it may be even for a new parliament before any further progress on that front. We're not entirely sure what 2025 looks like at this stage, are we? But energy bill relief Paul Fletcher it is working to cushion households from inflationary power bills, and at some point in the next six months, consideration will probably have to be given to extending it. Wouldn't it be a kick in the guts for households getting that $300 a year to see it lapse or see it removed? 

Paul Fletcher: Look, we've been very clear all the way along that Labor has fundamentally mismanaged energy. That is why gas prices are up 32% since they came to government and electricity prices were it not for this on Budget subsidy would be up 31%. Now of course, they promised that energy prices would go down $275 per household. They're now up close to $1,000 in many cases. So Labor has fundamentally mismanaged this. What we need to see and what we're calling for, and what we would deliver if we got into government is getting spending under control, getting inflation under control, getting interest rates under control. You wouldn't see the government fiscal policy at odds with going in the opposite direction to what the Reserve Bank is trying to do, and you wouldn't see the mismanagement of energy policy, which has seen prices skyrocketing. 

Greg Jennett: But we'll get nuclear costings from your side before too long next week?

Paul Fletcher: Look, Peter Dutton and Ted O'Brien have made that commitment today that you won't have long to wait. Bear in mind, we've already released the costings from Frontier Economics for Labour's plan $642 billion, some five times what Mr. Bowen was saying that his renewable energy plan would cost. 

Greg Jennett: And your pledges to come in under that. Is it? 

Paul Fletcher: We will have more to say when we release those numbers so people will be able to see that. 

Greg Jennett: All right. Paul Fletcher, you entered the Parliament 14 years ago. Not long after that, if I recall, you entered our studio here in Parliament House on what was called Capitol Hill. We spoke then. A lot has changed in 14 years, but you've been a constant throughout representing your party's policies and positions. We thank you for that and wish you all the best in 2025 and beyond. 

Paul Fletcher: And thank you, Greg. Thank you for always being a fair minded interlocutor and well done. Congratulations and best wishes for the next phase of your career, and I wish a merry Christmas to all of your viewers. 

Greg Jennett: Very kind. Thanks so much, Paul Fletcher. 

Paul Fletcher: Thank you.