Motion to abolish regulations obstructing the development of sustainable nuclear energy will also be debated
The Nationals will debate motions calling for the Turnbull government
to support building new high-efficiency coal plants, and maximise the
use of the Latrobe Valley’s brown coal reserves, at their federal
council this weekend.
As the prime minister and the energy minister moved on Friday to overhaul the national energy guarantee in an attempt to contain an internal crisis within the government, the Nationals will revive the coal debate at their gathering in Canberra. The party’s leader, Michael McCormack, will pledge to fix “power reliability and affordability”.
Motions before the federal council call on the government “to support the building of high-energy, low-emissions coal-fired power stations that have the capacity to produce reliable, accessible and affordable power” and abolish “such regulation as is necessary” to allow the development of sustainable nuclear energy.
Another condemns the Victoria government “for hastening the closure of the Hazelwood power station, jeopardising Victoria’s power supplies and failing to maintain a fair price”. It also “calls on the Nationals at state and federal levels to prioritise development of secure and affordable baseload power supplies with a particular focus on the use of the Latrobe Valley’s brown coal reserves, which would shore up electricity generation and provide much needed jobs in Gippsland”.
As the prime minister and the energy minister moved on Friday to overhaul the national energy guarantee in an attempt to contain an internal crisis within the government, the Nationals will revive the coal debate at their gathering in Canberra. The party’s leader, Michael McCormack, will pledge to fix “power reliability and affordability”.
Motions before the federal council call on the government “to support the building of high-energy, low-emissions coal-fired power stations that have the capacity to produce reliable, accessible and affordable power” and abolish “such regulation as is necessary” to allow the development of sustainable nuclear energy.
Another condemns the Victoria government “for hastening the closure of the Hazelwood power station, jeopardising Victoria’s power supplies and failing to maintain a fair price”. It also “calls on the Nationals at state and federal levels to prioritise development of secure and affordable baseload power supplies with a particular focus on the use of the Latrobe Valley’s brown coal reserves, which would shore up electricity generation and provide much needed jobs in Gippsland”.
Another requests that “joint funding both from federal and state governments investigate opportunities and support investment strategies to maximise the potential for carbon-based products to be produced from Latrobe Valley’s brown coal resource”.
The renewed coal debate, and McCormack’s comments on power prices, come as Labor has warned it will torpedo any government proposal that involves taxpayer funding for new coal-fired power stations worked up to settle the internal ructions within the government.
The Turnbull government is attempting to expedite a package to present to Coalition MPs next week that is likely to include default pricing for power consumers and measures to curb the ability of the major energy retailers to extract super profits from their customers.
Ahead of a cabinet deliberation early next week, the government is also working up a proposal to set the Neg’s emissions reduction target by regulation rather than in legislation in an effort to court Labor’s support and address some internal objections that legislating and emissions reduction target consistent with Australia’s climate commitments under the Paris agreement is a breach of sovereignty.
The option under consideration is that the target would be set via the regulation, and if a government wanted to increase it, it would first have to seek advice from the Australian Energy Regulator and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission about the impact of a target increase on electricity prices.
That advice would be made public.
The hope is the overhaul will pare back the number of MPs currently declaring they will cross the floor when the government’s legislation is considered by the parliament, and de-escalate the tensions.
The government secured a sign-off from a majority of MPs for the Neg’s emissions reduction components last week, but a group of up to 10 backbenchers has warned they will cross the floor because of objections to legislating the 26% target, or because they believe the policy won’t lower power prices.
The concerns stretch beyond the backbenchers who have articulated their objections publicly. Some ministers also want the focus to be on lowering power prices rather than emissions.
The home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, under pressure from the Sydney radio host Ray Hadley last week, articulated the circumstances that would trigger his resignation from the cabinet, which colleagues regard as a signal to the prime minister to expedite a solution.
Senior government figures have been stalling on the introduction of the legislation while the package on power prices is worked up, regarding the bringing on of debate in the House as a provocation when it can’t secure its own numbers.
The former prime minister Tony Abbott has been campaigning publicly in an effort to force Turnbull to drop the Neg and focus instead on a range of measures that would make power prices the focus of the next federal election.
Labor is yet to settle on a final position on the Neg legislation but has signalled it is prepared to have the parliamentary debate ahead of a sign off by the states on the policy. The states have yet to sign on to the Neg.
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