MATTERS OF URGENCY

Senator HODGINS-MAY (Victoria) (16:30): There is only one way to protect Australians from a constant cycle of price spikes and uncertainty. To futureproof this country from an unpredictable global energy market, which is like being tied to a yo-yo that we can't control, we must unshackle ourselves from our dependence on fossil fuels. When global prices jump, Australians pay more at the petrol pump, on their power bills and at the supermarket.

We saw it after Russia invaded Ukraine. Bills surged, and households copped it. And here we are again.

The fossil fuel industry wants you to believe that more gas will protect us. Well, it won't. It keeps us more exposed and it keeps prices high.

Those same companies are making massive profits off global conflict, blood-soaked war profits, while Australians struggle to fill their tanks or pay their energy bills. There are things we can be doing right now. We must tax our gas exporters a minimum of 25 per cent on that precious gas that's being exported.

We can make public transport free—yes, we can do it—to take pressure off household budgets and redirect fuel where it's most needed: the regions and our farmers and truck drivers. But we can also not pretend that this is a short-term crisis. As long as we rely on fossil fuels, every conflict and every shock overseas becomes a cost-of-living crisis here at home.

The alternative is clear. The wind keeps blowing. The sun keep shining.

No-one can cut them off. The more that we power Australia equitably with our own clean energy, the more control that we have over prices, over our security and over our future. That is the choice in front of us all.