Federal member for New England Barnaby Joyce has again blamed renewable energy for high power prices and contributing to the high cost of living, despite the intensive investments in renewables throughout the New England area.
Speaking on the conservative Sky News channel he said that getting elected requires having a message and standing behind it.
“The reason power prices are going through the roof is renewables.”
“We used to have the cheapest power in the world, now we’re getting the dearest power in the world.”
He said the current government could stop the plan to ‘blow up’ Liddell power station, which is slated to be decommissioned in April, and ensure bulk supply of power that he believes cannot be provided by renewable power sources.
Continued claims by Joyce and other Nationals that renewables are the cause of high power prices or more expensive than coal, nuclear or gas have been repeatedly debunked in factchecks by both AAP and RMIT.
He dismissed the Coalition’s poor performance in the polls saying that cost of living is going to become more of an issue, and Labor is responsible for the increasing number of issues that will come to the fore as the ‘socialists get their way’. The most recent News Poll had Labor ahead 55 to 45 on a two party preferred basis.
“The art of politics is not to follow polls, it’s to go to the people and clearly explain what you believe to be the proper course.”
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