Abetz, Sen Eric

Senator ABETZ (Tasmania—Leader of the Government in the Senate, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service and Minister for Employment) (14:20): The very first thing that I think should be understood is that there are well over 1,000 million people in the world without a regular or decent supply of electricity, living in absolute, grinding poverty. And there is no doubt that, if we are to lift those people from that grinding poverty, we need to provide them with a relatively cheap and reliable energy source. We believe that that can be best provided, in the short term at least, by clean coal such as that which Australia exports. It is interesting that on this occasion the Australian Greens would have us champion the cause of, as I understand it, the United States in the OECD, whereas on this occasion we are in fact in lock step with our near Asian neighbours such as Japan and Korea. So those that continually assert that we should be engaging with our Asian neighbours only do so when it suits them and then hide behind—if I can quote them back at themselves—the skirts and the petticoat of the United States when it suits them. What we have— Honourable senators interjecting— Senator ABETZ: Or the forelock tugging—whatever terminology you might want to use. That is what the Australian Greens continually direct at us, and here they are saying we should be championing the same cause as the United States, when we are saying we are in lock step with Japan and South Korea, our near Asian neighbours. We will announce in due course that which we believe ought to be occurring, but negotiations are occurring. (Time expired)