Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is my great pleasure to rise and speak about our government's very strong plan to deliver affordable and reliable energy. We've just heard from the member for Makin about his concern about climate change and reducing emissions. Well, if Labor were concerned about these matters—delivering affordable, reliable power, driving down power prices and also emissions—it would back our National Energy Guarantee.

The Turnbull government has accepted the recommendation of the Energy Security Board for a new National Energy Guarantee which would deliver more affordable and reliable energy while meeting our international commitments, and that's very important. Under the guarantee, households and businesses across the Corangamite electorate and across the nation would have access to affordable, reliable power. We've see an abomination from Labor with its reckless 50 per cent Renewable Energy Target and its 45 per cent emissions reduction target. It is all at sea. It compromised our domestic gas supply by allowing gas to be exported when it was in power, rather than ensuring that there were appropriate supplies for Australians. Our policy is all about putting Australians first. We read in The Australian today that in fact Labor's policy would deliver a $200 increase to the annual power bill if its policies were implemented. That is incredibly reckless.

The modelling by the Climate Change Authority is very credible, and we've heard from the Energy Security Board that a National Energy Guarantee would deliver a decrease in power bills of between $100 and $115 a year. That is incredibly important. There are so many businesses in my electorate that are facing very high gas and power bills because of the terrible policies we saw under the previous, Labor government. Viva Energy, an incredible business in our region employing some 700 people, is facing an increase in both power and gas bills of something like $50 million. AKD Softwoods, a wonderful timber merchant and manufacturer of softwoods in Colac and other parts of Victoria, which employs 400 people in Colac, is facing a $2.5 million increase for gas and a $1.5 million increase for electricity.

We're very proud of this policy, which is all about driving down emissions and power prices, and we call on the Labor Party to get on board and to stop these reckless economic policies which will drive power prices up in households and businesses around Australia.

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