The Hon Angus Taylor MP Opinion piece

This pandemic has had a profound impact on global oil markets.

This week the government is reintro­ducing electricity competition reforms to the parliament, widely known as the "big stick" legislation.

Consumer trust is more important than worries about industry intervention. But the need for drastic policy is only temporary.

As the reappointed Energy Minister, and now Minister responsible for Emissions Reduction, I am focussed on tangible solutions for our energy sector.

On 25 January, as the lights went out in 200,000 Victorian homes and the Portland aluminium smelter was taken offline, it was little comfort that there was an additional 400 megawatts of generation capacity in Tasmania unable to reach the mainland and keep the lights on.

In the Australian electricity sector, the facts and the customers have been victims.