QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator GALLAGHER (Australian Capital Territory—Minister for Finance, Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Women, Minister for Government Services and Manager of Government Business in the Senate) (14:47): Again, Senator Roberts, this project is important for the security and stability of the energy grid. In relation to coal-fired power stations, there have been none built in this country for decades, and, indeed, under the former government, I think there was $3 million allocated to Collinsville to explore that.

I don't know what happened to that and where that project ended, but we heard nothing from it. The market is not building new coal-fired power stations. They're not.

If they were able to deliver the energy that you say they would be able to do in a way that you want them to do, the market would be investing in them. They're not. The market is investing in renewables because it delivers cheaper and more reliable energy.

We've seen that, indeed, in some announcements that Minister Bowen has made in recent times about the wholesale price of electricity coming down because of the amount of renewables in the system.