House debates

Tuesday, 17 October 2017

Questions without Notice

Energy

2:01 pm

Photo of Malcolm TurnbullMalcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will have to reflect on the expert advice of the Energy Security Board. This is someone who has called for bipartisanship in energy policy. That's what he's called for. What we have is a recommendation from an expert board appointed by COAG—appointed by more Labor governments than coalition governments. This is what they've said in their formal advice: 'It's expected that following the guarantee could lead to a reduction in residential bills in the order of $110 to $115 per annum over the 2020 to 2030 period. Wholesale prices are expected to decline by 20 to 25 per cent per annum over the same period. Compared to the clean energy target, as specified in the Finkel review, this guarantee could be expected to lead to wholesale prices that are on average eight to 10 per cent lower under that period.'

We have arranged for the opposition to have a briefing from the Energy Security Board. We look forward to them becoming fully briefed and we encourage them to get on board and adopt this expert recommendation that, for the first time, will level the playing field, end the subsidies, end the taxes and ensure that we have a genuinely technology-agnostic energy market that enables us to have energy that is affordable, reliable and responsible. That's what Labor should support. It should stop the nonsense about its claimed bipartisanship and get real and get on board with the plan that guarantees Australia's energy future.

Opposition members interjecting

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