Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

There's much I could say in response to that, but I shan't waste my time. I would much rather talk about what the government is actually doing for Australians and, more importantly, for the constituents of my electorate of Forde. I'm very pleased to speak on this motion, because the Australian government has, through its policies over the past few years, succeeded in seeing electricity prices come down. There are more affordable electricity prices for households and, importantly, more affordable electricity prices for businesses so that they can continue to grow and prosper and employ Australians, all whilst reducing our emissions and meeting our targets in that space. Household electricity prices are some 11.2 per cent lower than they were a year ago, and wholesale prices on the national energy market are at their lowest levels in six years. Keeping electricity prices low has been central to our ongoing economic recovery and will support jobs, productivity and economic growth.

I note, Madam Deputy Speaker Bird, that, as you well know, when you were last in government we had the carbon tax. One of the first acts of this government after we came into power in 2013 was to get rid of things like the carbon tax, and that assisted in reducing the cost of living for everyday Australians. Our default market offer reforms mean that average residential customers who were on the highest standing offers prior to the introduction of the default market offer will now be some $780 a year better off, while the average small business customer could be up to $3,105 a year better off. These are direct savings to households and to businesses.

I want to congratulate the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction and the government for the work that we are continuing to do to find ways to reduce electricity prices, because we know that, when we have an economy that's based on affordable, reliable power, business in this country can grow and prosper, and that is exactly what we need to occur in this country as we come out of the coronavirus pandemic and the impacts of that. When I have a look at businesses like Stoddart at Ormeau, ATP Science at Loganholme, Holmwood Highgate—a large manufacturing businesses that does a lot of welding, with high energy use—and many other such businesses across my electorate of Forde, I see that the importance of lower electricity prices cannot be overstated.

But it's not just those big businesses; small businesses—our cafes, our restaurants—also benefit from lower electricity prices. Cheaper electricity is also supported by a range of other measures in the budget, and over the past 12 months during the coronavirus pandemic. Measures such as JobKeeper, the extended loss carry back and the instant asset write-off: all of those things assist businesses to grow and prosper and employ Australians. And, as we've seen, it has been a tremendous success. We know that energy, and affordable energy, is critical to ensuring that we have a sustainable economy moving forward.

In addition, we're providing $49.3 million for battery and microgrid projects. Recently, I was pleased to officially open the new factory for Lithium Battery Systems, a battery manufacturer who are doing excellent work in my electorate. They design lithium batteries for marine equipment, motor homes, camper trailers, boats, golf carts—supporting a whole range of activities that allow people to go and enjoy a holiday, go and enjoy time away and get off the grid. One of their really interesting projects, which they did a couple of years ago, was fitting out a bus, called Sleepbus, in Melbourne. Sleepbus allows people who are homeless to sleep in the bus overnight and have a safe, warm place to sleep. It was through their work with that company that they developed a lithium battery system to ensure that Sleepbus can provide a warm, safe, comfortable bed for those who need it. It's just another example of what this government is doing. (Time expired)

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