Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question and I can inform the Leader of the Opposition that this government supports a 20 per cent renewable energy target—a real 20 per cent renewable energy target. The problem is that, because of changes to electricity demand, the current 41,000 target is going to amount to more like 27 per cent than the 20 per cent that it was supposed to be. We are very happy to sit down with the opposition to deal appropriately with this, in what we hope will be a constructive bipartisan spirit.

I deeply regret any loss of jobs. I do regret the loss of jobs that the Leader of the Opposition referred to. The member for Wannon has been raising this matter with me because that is what a concerned local member should do. I am further advised that the business in question has a further 160 people employed at the Portland aluminium smelter, and one of the reasons we are determined to get the renewable energy target appropriately reduced and adjusted is to protect jobs at the Portland aluminium smelter.

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are most determined to protect jobs. Jobs are our prime concern. As the Leader of the Opposition should know, the best way to ensure that overall we protect jobs is to ensure that the renewable energy target is appropriately adjusted. I am happy and the Minister for Industry is happy to sit down with the opposition to try to ensure that we can give not only certainty to our power generators but also certainty to the workers of Australia that their jobs are safe, because this is a government that wants to keep power prices down.