Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

'No one held back, no one left behind'—that's what Labor promised Australians earlier this year. But Labor has left every person in this country who pays a power bill behind. Try this one on for size: 'You'll be better off under a Labor government.' It sounded wrong at the time, and now they've been exposed for not having a plan, being without any solutions and failing Australians on reliable and affordable energy. On Tuesday night we all heard about the problems and no solutions. This is what Labor do—they overpromise and underdeliver. And, sadly, this won't end.

When Labor was last in government, household electricity prices doubled, and here we go again. What is becoming more and more clear is that we're in the hands of a government that has no idea. They're living a pipe dream, hoping that the feel-good solution of no more gas or coal will fix their problems. Power must be available 24/7—it must be. I don't want to be the one who has to go and tell Mrs Smith, who is lying in her hospital bed on a ventilator, 'You have to hold your breath for the next 14 hours until the sun comes up again.' Does anyone else here want to do this? I don't think so. We simply need coal and gas to be part of our future to ensure both reliable and affordable energy. At the very least, we need to be having a conversation about nuclear.

The Liberals and Nationals will look at all energy options—coal, gas, wind, solar, hydro and nuclear. We on this side of the chamber are about making sure Australians can get the cheapest electron to their households and to their business. But it seems this anti-gas, anti-coal, anti-regions, anti-small-business, anti-ag, anti-plan and anti-commitment Labor government cannot bring themselves to displease the Greens. It will be the Australian families and small businesses that have to deal with these rising costs. This Labor government is about idealism, but what it needs is a good dose of realism. They are praying that these mystical and magical ideas are going to work, but their pipedream will mean that energy will cost more and that power won't be available to the people of this country. If we don't have energy at the right price in Australia, we are going to drive industry and business offshore. We don't want to do that. It's just not right for our people.

The government had the opportunity on Tuesday night to show good faith to Aussies and come good on their promises that had them elected to run this joint. But instead the Australian people were on the receiving end of even more uncertainty. On Tuesday night, this Labor government walked away from a commitment to reduce every household's energy bill by $275, a promise that was repeated over 97 times. Then on Wednesday the Treasurer said it was in the budget. Then an hour later he said it was not in the budget. Who is running the show here?

This is a huge issue when Aussie families are doing it tough. Labor is putting us on a path where we'll probably have to choose between our aircon and being able to buy veggies. The Treasurer gave us the news that households can expect a 50 per cent increase in their energy bills and a 40 per cent increase in their gas bills. Some might suggest it could be more. With increases as devastating as this, Aussie households deserve certainty and consistency from their government. My people in Dawson should not be left second-guessing. It's been a difficult week for Australians. This government has been caught with no plan and is taking hardworking Australians down the path to unaffordable energy. Australians deserve to have electricity that is reliable, affordable and available 24/7.

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