Mr LEO McLEAY (4:15 PM) —What people listening should be aware of is that, while I do not think any of us have any objections to the matter we are talking about, it is a form of energy generation which is very much in its infancy. While I have no objection to the way in which the member whose electorate this project is in addressed the House, his reference to the experimental project as clean, pure, silver moon power may give people the idea that these are cargo cult things which they should look at rather askance.

Since the first oil shock in 1974, there has been great interest all around the world in alternate types of power generation for electricity. People realised that using fossil fuels was bad for the environment and oil was becoming very expensive, so people looked at different types of technology—solar power, wave power, wind power and tidal power.

It is interesting to realise that many of those applications are very useful here in Australia, particularly in the northern part of our country where we have massive tide rises. If people go to Broome, they need only to go and stand out on that jetty to see the massive height that the jetty is above the water at low tide. We also have incredibly high numbers of sunny days. So solar power and tidal power are two alternate types of power generation which are very suitable for Australia.

The north-west of Australia, both the Kimberley area and parts of Queensland, have dramatic tide movements. The average movement over a year is 10 metres, which is a very dramatic rise and fall. But often the areas with these tide movements and with so many days of sunshine have been a long way away from the population centres of the country. Therefore, the transmission or transport costs of that energy to areas where it can be used become prohibitive. In the cost-benefit analysis of whether to use this type of generation or fossil fuels, which we have an abundance of around the population centres on the east coast, fossil fuel has often won out.

But I think there is a chance with this project in the Kimberley because it does meet the cost value equation. If you have a look at a book by A.C. Baker entitled Tidal Power that was commissioned by the Institute of Electrical Engineers, you will see that he says the cost value equation for tidal power in north-west Western Australia is comparable to other projected sites in the rest of the world. I think the fact there is a plant here that can provide power for the surrounding region of 20,000 people and a number of resource projects will make it a self-sustainable project.

I would also—as you have, Mr Deputy Speaker Jenkins—raise the question that we should make sure we get the environmental side of this right because these projects are long-life projects. This project is expected to be able to stay in situ for 120 years. If it is going to be barraging that part of the King Sound for 120 years, we ought to be making sure there are no unintended consequences. The fact that you can get a project that will last for 120 years up for $125 million shows that we should be looking at investing in that in Australia.

If we are the country in the world that want to say that we are the clever country, if we are the country in the world that has been at the cutting edge of things like wind power and solar power, certainly with the resources we have for tidal power we should be getting a plant on-stream here so that we can show the world that that type of tidal power is a viable option. There are numerous other places around the world where this type of technology could be installed. If we were able to install it, make it work and profit from it, it is something that we can sell not only to the region where we live where there are a number of potential projects, such as in India and in Korea, but also to other parts of the world. (Time expired)