Mr CRAIG KELLY (Hughes) (16:16): I have seen some confused and muddle headed thinking from Labor members of parliament in my time, but today, I think, just about takes the cake for complete and utter confusion. But I would like to congratulate the member for Newcastle for her contribution to this MPI, because she is right to be concerned about those jobs at Tomago. The main theme of this debate, that we have an energy crisis in this country, is correct. Why do we have the crisis? It goes back to when good old Kevin 07 decided that he would have a 20 per cent renewable energy target by 2020. There was nothing that was economically sensible about that, other than that it rhymed: 20 per cent by 2020. The entire problem is that when you have wind turbines, which are the lowest costing renewable energy, but cost more than coal, and the wind does not blow the power does not flow. An example from today, we have around 2,000 wind turbines in this nation, if they were all working at maximum capacity they would generate around 3,900 megawatts. At 12 o'clock today they were working at less than two per cent capacity. That means you have to have the backup of fossil fuels. That is why it was so good for the member for Newcastle to talk about the importance of coal fired power. Because without coal fired power, places like Tomago will close down. All those workers in her electorate will lose their jobs. Yet it is the Labor Party that has a plan to kick-start—they said it, kick-start—the closure of coal fired power station's in their policy. I say to the member for Newcastle about the coal fired power station that the workers in Tomago rely on, it is the policy of the Labor Party and the Greens to close those power coal fired power stations down. Opposition members interjecting— Mr CRAIG KELLY: Now you are all keen for coal fired power, is that right? You are all keen. You all like coal, is that right? Are you all for it? Well you have to be, because whatever you have in wind has to be backed up by some form of fossil fuel. The problem is, as I think the member for Shortland said, no-one will finance a new coal fired power station in this nation. That is true, and the reason for that is because that mob on the other side have this mad insanity of a 50 per cent renewable energy target. Anyone that is going to invest knows that they will have to get a return on that coal fired power station over 30 or 40 years. They know that there is a political risk. The political risk is that the reckless incompetents on that side of the House may actually come to government one time in the next 30 or 40 years and inflict their policies of closing down coal fired power in this nation. That is why we are not getting the investment and that is why we have an energy crisis in this country. If we have a crisis today, what about next year? Next year we are closing down—with the cheers of all the Labor members and the Greens—Hazelwood power station in Victoria. It is being closed down. I know that most of you secretly cheer that. That is 20 per cent of Victoria's— Opposition members interjecting— Mr CRAIG KELLY: Well stand up in this parliament and say you support Hazelwood being kept open. Come on, stand up in this parliament and say, 'Keep Hazelwood open.' No, they will not say it. They want to see it close down. They will be cheering when it closes down. That is 20 per cent of Victoria's power. What will happen next year if we have similar weather conditions to those we have had this year? We will not just have the population that we have today, we will have to find power for another 330,000 people in this nation to have air conditioning, refrigeration and stoves to cook on. They will need power. So the power demands in this nation will be higher and we will have less power. We have got to get more coal fired power stations. I call on all members: if you are really concerned about jobs, if you are really concerned about prosperity then abandon that 50 per cent renewable energy target. Because that is what is needed if we are going to bring stability back to the electricity supplies of this country. (Time expired) The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Coulton ): Order! The time for the debate has expired.