KIERAN GILBERT: In the meantime, let's go live to Emerald in central Queensland. The Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Anthony Chisholm, joins us. You spend a lot of time going to mines and various industrial premises around the nation. You know they're grappling with expensive energy right now, Senator Chisholm, aren't they? So, now The Coalition looks like they're going to unify behind a position that's going to put the pressure back on the government as to when you end the subsidies for a lot of these businesses like Tomago.

ANTHONY CHISHOLM: Well, it's hardly surprising where the Liberals have landed, Kieran. We know that they are still being run by the Nationals, and I'm here in the heart of Flynn electorate, where Colin Boyce is the local member, and he's not just anti-renewables, he's hostile to renewables in his electorate, and they really do have their head buried in the sand. It's disappointing the Liberals won't actually stand up to them, so they don't have a credible policy on this. Regional communities are going to be left behind if the Liberals and Nationals ever get back to government, because we know there is enormous opportunity here. We know the businesses in this part of the world want to do their part to decarbonise. We want to work with them, and the electricity system is a significant part of that. And just down the road in Gladstone, the work that Rio are doing there around their smelters and refineries is an example of the work that needs to go in to decarbonise the economy, and the government stand ready to work with those communities because we know that's what the future needs to look like.

KIERAN GILBERT: But when do we stop having to pay taxpayer dollars for a lot of that stuff? When can the industry -- if it's the cheapest form of energy, renewables and clean energy is the cheapest form, when do we stop having to fork out the subsidies?

ANTHONY CHISHOLM: We know that we need enormous new generation around the country. So when our predecessors were in power for their decade, they didn't build enough new energy. The only people who are looking at building new generation in the country is renewables, and it's backed by firming and batteries, and so forth. We know that's what needs to happen, and that's why we're working with these industries to achieve that. The councils through here, this region, are dealing with challenges around getting approvals for renewable energy. That's really important, and we want to ensure that we're working with communities to do that, but those big industrial facilities are dealing with difficult international Environments as well. Yes, the energy prices are part of that, but we need to ensure that we're working through them, dealing with those international issues, but also ensuring that we've got the generational capacity that we need to ensure that these facilities can continue to operate in regional Australia, and Mount Isa's a good example of that.

KIERAN GILBERT: We need a lot more gas, too, don't we? I mean, that's the reality there needs to -- you spoke about there's just investment in renewables, but surely we need a lot more gas in the system too, for those industries that need it all the time, then, you know, switch it on and it's there. We've got so much gas. Surely we need to focus on boosting that supply, don't we?

ANTHONY CHISHOLM: We do, and Minister King has been focused on that as well as the Prime Minister. And the Future Gas Strategy that we announced last year, we are going about implementing that. We've got a gas review that's underway at the moment that we'll be reporting on before Christmas. So, we are dealing with that supply issue and ensuring that we have affordable gas that can be used for energy, but also for our industrial consumers at the same time. So, yes, that's a key part of it. And this is a government that is dealing with those challenges. And I would contrast that with our opposition, that what they're signalling today is that they're being led by the Nationals, they have their head buried in the sand, and they don't actually have a future vision for what the country should look like. That actually just take us back to the Dark Ages. That is not a recipe for success for this country.

KIERAN GILBERT: You do spend a lot of time in the bush and across the regional areas. You must hear some of the angst about the renewable infrastructure, the wind farms, the solar farms, particularly wind, though. What sort of feedback do you get? Because we saw it during the election campaign. There were some really passionate groups right up and down the coast and across the bush who don't want to see their landscape changed, as many would say scarred by a lot of that infrastructure.

ANTHONY CHISHOLM: On Tuesday, I was in Dalby for a big cattle conference and met with a lot of graziers from around that area, but also further afield, from northern NSW as well, the Western Downs Council, which takes in a town like Dalby. They're dealing with a lot of proponents at the moment around renewable energy. They're a council that's very well run, and they can drive a really good deal for their local community. So, we need to ensure that councils have got that ability when they're dealing with these proposals, to ensure that the community sees some benefit from it. So, that's really important. And the work that Minister McBain's doing around local government is supportive of that at the same time. So, we understand that there's challenges. We want to ensure that we take those communities with us because there can be jobs and economic opportunity as a result of these proposals. But what we're seeing in a place like Flynn is you've got a federal member that is opposed to these developments, and that's actually going to hold these local communities back. So, we want to harness that potential, see the positive for the local community and see new generation as a result. Because the coal-fired power stations around here are more than 40 years old, so we know that they don't have a long-life trajectory as a result. We need that new generation. That's what this government's focused on.

KIERAN GILBERT: The Coalition looks like it's going to be arguing to sweat the coal assets longer. Should the government be looking at propping up some of those assets beyond the late 20s into the 30s? Because it's the cheapest form, you know, it's established. I know that there have been issues in terms of the technology and failures, but for stability, for expense, should - why doesn't the government look at keeping some of those coal assets operating longer as well?

ANTHONY CHISHOLM: Well, that's what the Queensland government have signalled as part of their energy plan, Kieran. And I suppose the unique part about Queensland energy system is that largely the generational assets, the generation assets, are still state-owned, so they've got the ability to do that where necessary. But the point of the matter in Kieran is that we need more new generation, and that the only form of new generation that is being seriously considered is renewables and storage. So, the previous government they spent a couple of million dollars saying they'd build a coal-fired power station in Collinsville. We never even saw the report that they commissioned as part of that. So, there isn't actually commercial entities out there that want to invest in coal-fired power. So, we know what the future looks like. That's why we're a government that gets behind it. And even the state government here in Queensland, whilst they've said they may need to keep some coal-fired power stations operating longer, they're not actually investing in coal-fired power in terms of new generation. So, whilst on one hand their rhetoric says something, what they're actually doing and where their money is going--

KIERAN GILBERT: But should your government be more open to more a longer use of coal? Are you personally open to it? Do you think the government should be more open to it? Because we need, we need cheaper energy, we need stable energy, reliable -- Sounds like you're open to that yourself.

ANTHONY CHISHOLM: Obviously, the stability of the grid is important, and it's obviously complex in terms of the various states have their systems, in terms of what they're responsible for. Queensland have signalled their path. I'm comfortable with that. I want to see stability of the grid, but I'm also passionately determined to see new generation being built, and in Queensland and around the country, that is solar and wind. And I'm confident that if we get that right, we can continue to power that heavy industry that's been a real significant part of regional Queensland economies into the future.

KIERAN GILBERT: Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Anthony Chisholm, appreciate it. Thanks for joining us from Emerald in Central Queensland.