QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (14:59): I support all my ministers, and I also support real action on climate change. I understand that, unless you have firming capacity, you won't have the expansion of renewables that is important for the transition. The Pacific Island leaders I met with certainly understood that.

Pacific Island leaders praised Australia's work, and we are leading the nation. Last week, I was in Palau with the two ministers for the solar project that will power 25 per cent of Palau's energy needs going forward. It will make an enormous difference because it will mean less diesel use—important for lowering emissions.

One of the lessons of what has happened with the Strait of Hormuz and the Middle East conflict is that nations need to be more resilient. They need to be less reliant upon events internationally that, as we've seen, can be turbulent. In these turbulent seas, we have our eyes kept on the horizon, and that means being more resilient as an economy.

That means making sure that we produce more of our energy needs here, which is why, whether it is the production or an increase in the use of renewables, or the firming capacity that's necessary for that to be rolled out—which has been critical for areas such as Tomago, which is New South Wales's largest energy user, making an enormous difference owing to the work that we've done together with the New South Wales government and with the company there—or the potential for— The SPEAKER: The member for Ryan is entitled to take her point of order.

Ms Watson-Brown: Point of order on relevance—I was asking about whether the Prime Minister was supporting the plan to ignite this giant climate bomb, Beetaloo. The SPEAKER: The question said, 'Do you support your minister?' The Prime Minister, within the first three seconds, directly answered that question, so he is being directly relevant and he has answered the question.

He will continue. Mr ALBANESE: Whether it be the seed funding to examine whether we can have an additional fuel refinery on the west coast, or what we're doing with liquid fuels, it will make an enormous difference in making sure that our agricultural sector and production, such as canola and others. We can make a difference not only in going into production where we have the opportunity to help our own needs in areas such as aviation but we also have the potential, if we get this right as global demand rises, to be an exporter.

The slogans that were there in the question aren't what will solve the issue of the challenge of climate change. What will solve the issue is taking up the opportunity which is there. For how do you lower emissions in a sensible, strategic way?

How do you make sure that you take into account the need for energy security while those emissions are being decreased? If you don't do that, you will lose public and community support for it, which is why what we have is a plan that we're rolling out— (Time expired)