Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Rising energy costs are hitting households and businesses hard across the Goldstein electorate. In fact, I got my electricity bill only this morning and, like many people, had to go through the process of electricity bill shock. It's an experience most residents of Goldstein, of Victoria and across Australia know. In the past decade there's been a fundamental problem with the way we as a nation have approached energy. We've focused on cutting emissions first, then we've worried about price and then we've worried about reliability. This was particularly bad during the previous Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government and particularly, at a state level, under the Andrews government as well.

The reality is that, if you want to deliver energy for this nation, you have to worry about and prioritise reliability and then price—because if people can't afford electricity, they're not going to be able to pay for it, and the lights have to be able to stay on—and then worry about emissions cuts, because, when it comes down to it, if people have reliable, affordable energy like I do, they have a very strong interest in making sure we do the right environmental thing. But we have to be able to deliver energy in the first place.

In Victoria, this has been particularly bad in the last three years during the Andrews government. We can't expect businesses to maintain employment, hire new staff and increase wages, so we shouldn't be making it harder for them by increasing electricity prices, which are a fundamental input into their business activities. I get a lot of people across the electorate, in particular who have businesses in or around the electorate, who are finding it hard to make ends meet. We are an industrious community. Local business owners, including one who has shared their data with me, have shown me 200 per cent to 300 per cent increases in their energy bills, rising up to about $400,000.

That is where, as the local member, I'm proud to stand up and say that this has to be addressed by the federal government, but, equally, at a local level, we have a fantastic candidate advocating for lower electricity prices in Asher Judah in the state seat of Bentleigh. Asher recently visited several small businesses on Centre Road in Bentleigh, just around the corner from the Goldstein electorate office, and among the businesses he met and listened to were The Owl & The Baker—which makes a mean coffee, by the way—Bentleigh Quality Produce and Blue Star Drycleaners. All of these businesses are facing challenges with unsustainable electricity and gas bill increases. Asher understands that this causes an underinvestment in future activity; it taxes, very directly, some of the challenges facing businesses; and it undermines their capacity to compete.

When it comes to energy, we know the Andrews government has a shocking record, but that is where Asher Judah and I, working together, are going to continue to show leadership to help small businesses and households in reducing their electricity bills so that they can keep the lights on and keep their families safe, and create job opportunities for people in the Bentleigh community. By taking a stand for the interests of the people of Bentleigh, we are going to deliver the best outcome.

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