There is very little energy in this chamber; even for a normal question time it is pretty lack lustre, but for the third last one of the parliament, it is downright dire.

Maybe like trained seals at the aquarium, MPs really do need an audience to perform.

Here is a nice amusing sidenote to distract from the sideshow that is our national parliament during question time:

The LNP’s Michelle Landry struggles to read the second part of this question which has obviously been handed to her by the LNP’s tactics team (led by Michael Sukkar) and has to have a few goes to make it make sense.

“Well done Michael,” Albanese says. To be clear (because Landry early on in the 47th parliament accused the prime minister of “humiliating” her while he answered her question (he was actually addressing Peter Dutton at the time, but it led to a whole bunch of Coalition women standing in ‘solidarity’ with Landry saying they were ‘standing up to bullying’. This is back when the plan was to paint Albanese as a bully to women, which is how Morrison had been perceived, but despite Ley working very hard, it didn’t stick and the opposition moved on) Albanese is absolutely addressing Michael Sukkar here.

The first question:

With the Labor governments of New South Wales Victoria and Western Australia actively extending the life of coal-fired power stations can the Minister confirm how many coalmining approvals she has approved in this term of government?

Plibersek: “Fewer than a dozen”.

Landry in round two (and this is the one that takes a few goes)

I refer to the Minister’s last answer where she said that she had approved fewer than 12 coal-fired power stations and thermal coal mines. Can the Minister confirm what the number was, was between six and 12?

Plibersek:

The number of coalmines or extensions approved is 10.

Four of been cancelled.

Gas projects, there have been three extraction projects approved and renewables, more than 80 have been approved.

And there are about another 130 in the system which I think is a real indication of the way our economy is changing.

I understand why the Liberals and nationals are sensitive about this because they were warned when they went government that there were 24 coal-fired power stations facing closure and they did absolutely nothing to prepare for those closures.

They did nothing to prepare for those closures. What we have done is see this massive rollout of renewable energy because that is what the markets are investing in. Those opposite used to actually believe in market policies, particularly driving our energy sector. They had 22 energy policies, they didn’t land a single one. In contrast, the Minister for Energy has actually seen 15 gigawatts of renewable energy already added to our energy grid.

That is more than the Leader of the Opposition ‘s clear power plants could hope to achieve in 25 years’ time if he spent $600 billion of taxpayers money, if the state and territory governments agree to allow him to change their laws, if you can find four times the amount of water that the coal-fired power stations need to generate electricity.

I understand why they are sensitive about it. We are on track to see renewable energy reach 82% of our bread by 2030 and I am really proud to be part of the government that is doing that. This is one of the biggest transformations in Australian history and it is on track and it is on track because we have a prime minister that has shown leadership and an Energy Minister that has delivered.

Tanya Plibersek appears to be the target today, and she looks about as happy about it as you would expect.

It’s like someone has scrapped up some of the dead and rotting chunks of diseased salmon from Tasmanian beaches and asked her to eat it on camera.

Asked by Melissa Price (the former Morrison government minister who allegedly disparaged Pacific nations to the former president of Kiribati with former Labor senator Pat Dodson telling parliament Price said: “I know why you are here, it’s for the cash. For the Pacific, it’s always about the cash. I have my chequebook here, how much do you want?”) when Plibersek will make a decision on the future of the north-west gas expansion and whether it will be before the election, Plibersek grits her teeth and says:

The Department is assessing the project in accordance with Australia’s national environment laws which, as we know were put in place by John Howard’s Liberal government. I have consistently, every single time have been asked about a decision in this place said that I do not comment on decisions before me. The reason that I do not comment on decisions before me is, as the Minister for resources can tell you it leads to court cases. She has been engaged in two court cases cleaning up the mess of the previous government where the previous government and the previous Prime Minister swore himself in as a secret Minister, they prejudged a decision made a decision and that ended up in court. But I can say very clearly that our broad approach will always be to follow the law and to follow the science.

Which is the political and sensible thing to say. But also – there is no need to expand that project. There is enough gas in Australia already – we just export 80% of it. Expanding that project will not only drive up domestic prices for Western Australians (when their existing contracts run out) it will result in 90 million tonnes annually, equivalent to 12 average-sized Australian coal power stations, and 4.3 billion tonnes of emissions over its lifetime. (That is from Woodside’s own documents)

Woodside’s North West Shelf gas export project: a disaster on five fronts

You know we are a bee’s…sneeze from an election campaign when Labor picks a fight with the Greens.

Anthony Albanese:

What my government has proudly done is not just have effective climate change targets, of 43% by 2040 but plan to get there.

Through our capacity investment scheme, the Safeguard Mechanism, working with business to make sure we get the investment in renewables which is occurring, making sure we do that and across-the-board, the environmental reforms we have put in place.

We are targeting, making sure more of our land and waters are protected and just on Saturday, we had through this environment Minister, a $250 million announcement to expand land protection in this country so that we work there, whether it is the urban Rivers program, making sure we protect but the work was done in the Murray Darling Basin, making sure that protection is there as well. But across-the-board, my government is one that has led on climate and the environment, not just here but in the work we’re doing globally as well. Australia is now out of the naughty and background the table, acting on climate change as part of global efforts in acting on the environment.

That is why also we follow the science and the member refers to the issue of Macquarie Harbour. We have committed $37.5 million to the Maugean Skate conservation including the successful captive breeding program, remediation, expanded the oxygenation program in the harbour which science tells us is working.

What you can’t do what we will never do is say we don’t care about jobs*, where care about science, we’re just going to back ideology but those opposite and the Tasmanian Greens have never seen a job they don’t want to destroy. They don’t support the Mariners project to provide renewable energy from Tasmania onto the North Island. That will make a difference. They are opposing windfarms in Tasmania as well. Right across-the-board, wherever there is a job, they are opposed to it. What we are as a Labor Party is we will always defend jobs and we will also defend sustainability very proudly.

*Do you know how many jobs we are talking about? 60. SIXTY.

Adam Bandt has the first of the crossbench questions and it is to the prime minister.

Your government has approved over 30 new coal and gas projects and now on the eve of an election and under cover of a budget you are guarding our environment and climate laws, removing scientific protections against more coal and gas and other Corporation and driving and iconic species to extinction. After three years of broken promises on the environment, why are you now doing what the Leader of the Opposition asked by guarding our climate and environment laws?

Get your bingo cards out! Anthony Albanese is not happy:

What absolute nonsense from the member for Melbourne. Absolute nonsense. The leader of a political party that stopped climate action the last time we were in government on this side of the house. Stopped climate action and as a direct result, led to Tony Abbott sitting in this chair. That is what occurred.

DING DING DING

Sussan Ley is up. What joy. What a treat. What an boon to the parliament.

In recent days the Prime Minister has expressed no confidence in this minister by introducing specific legislation to curtail and override her powers under the act. Under the new legislation does the Minister retain the power to stop salmon farming at Macquarie Harbour after the next election?

Ley has to ask the questions twice because of interjections from Labor MPs.

Ley has her school marm voice on, so you know she is being very serious.

Tanya Plibersek, showing all the enthusiasm of a child being taken to a vaccination appointment, answers:

I thank the former minister for the environment for that question and say to her, she received the report of Professor Graeme Samuel into John Howard‘s broken environment laws. She had every opportunity as the environment minister at the time to fix it and she did nothing so what we are doing with this amendment to the environment protection and biodiversity act is a very specific amendment that will apply in very limited circumstances to reconsiderations.

A very small number of reconsiderations that meet four particular criteria, the criteria are that the original decision was not a controlled action if undertaken in a particular manner, that the activity under way is ongoing or recurring mother the activity has been ongoing or recurring for five years before the reconsideration application was submitted and finally, that the activity is being carried on under the supervision of a state or territory government.

For example, state or territory environment protection agency. Under the existing law, as the former Minister for the Environment should know, an activity including in established industry, can be shut down overnight if an environmental assessment is to commence. The former Minister for the Environment could have fixed this problem. She could have fixed this problem in any way she chose to when she was the environment minister but she didn’t. As I said at the beginning of my answer. This applies to a very small number of potential decisions.

Michael Sukkar has a point of order that is kinda a point of order.

Plibersek finishes with a ‘here is why I am not saying anything about this’ answer:

As I have said every time I have been asked about a specific determination under the environmental protection and biodiversity act, if I predetermine something that is potentially litigated before me as a decision maker, that ends us up in court, just as when the Leader of the Opposition last week that that he had already made a decision about a Western Australian project, the resources industry in Western Australia blanched, they went white because they were so worried about the prejudgement of a potential decision and the fact that they would end up in court, as they have in two specific court cases that the Minister for Resources is dealing with right now.

Peter Dutton also gives a statement on indulgence thanking those who worked to protect communities from Cyclone Alfred. He does not mention that he left his electorate to attend a fundraiser in Sydney.

Question time begins!

Dutton:

At the last election, the prime minister promised that Australian families would be better off and yet the Prime Minister promised a $275 cut on 97 occasions before the election, instead they went up by $1300. We have had the largest fall in living standards in history and our country is divided. 29,000 small businesses have gone broke. This prime minister’s record adds up to nothing. How can struggling Australian families and businesses possibly afford another three years of the Albanese government?

It might be worth noting at this point that Scott Morrison is helping advise the Coalition for the election campaign.

Albanese treats the question like a dixer:

He speaks about division. The great divider of Australian politics, the great divider of Australian politics and I know and he has spoken to the party room this morning and he spoke about the division in their ranks behind him – that he was worried about.

He was worried about undermining from those opposite picking on Angus Taylor. Picking on the shadow treasurer. And no wonder those opposite have then asked a question on insiders or on the other Sunday programs, they cannot say anything about what their policies are or what the costings are of their alternative is as they go forward.

Following the condolence motion, the chamber moves to statements on indulgence to thank everyone who went through the floods and storms of TC Alfred.

Question time is delayed for the condolence motion for Dr Rosemary Crowley, a Labor party senator for South Australia.