Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Hansard source

As the member for Petrie, do I think that this bill from the Albanese Labor government, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Energy Price Relief Plan) Bill 2022, will lower gas prices or electricity prices for the people of Petrie? Not a hope in hell. There is no way that this will lower prices for those people struggling with the increased inflation and increased cost of living since the Albanese Labor government came to power. We've seen prices go through the roof. We have seen eight interest rate rises, with mortgage payments absolutely doubling and in some cases tripling. So people are struggling, and this government here and this Prime Minister have come in at the last moment and just recalled the parliament, which won't help people at all.

The fact that we're here today so this bill can be rushed through with barely any oversight or any chance for the opposition to actually read the bill is a disgrace. It's a little bit like a child who comes in to their parents with an assignment the night before it's due, trying to sticky-tape something together to submit the next day. This is not good legislation—not to mention it's costing over $1 million to recall the parliament for this one day. Actually, it's not even one day; it's less than three hours between nine and 12 before they do it. The Treasurer obviously delivered a budget in October. We were down here just two weeks ago with 151 members in this House and 76 senators. They could have done that then. They could have done something in the budget. But no. They recall the parliament at a cost of over $1 million and allow less than three hours debate. So I have no faith at all that what this government, the Albanese government, is doing will help the people of Petrie—no faith whatsoever.

The other thing is that this is really all about saving the Prime Minister's face. The Prime Minister promised 97 times before the last election, in May of this year, that he and his government would reduce power prices by $275. Ninety-seven times he promised that. It wasn't a slip of the tongue. On 5 December 2021, Mr Albanese promised that an Albanese government would reduce power bills by $275. On 17 February 2022, it was promised that an Albanese government would reduce power bills by $275. The current Prime Minister, on 3 April 2022, promised again that he would reduce power prices by $275. On 18 May, only three days before the election this year, he promised that he would reduce power prices by $275. And since he was elected in May? He can't mention it once. Not once can he mention that he will reduce power prices. The Treasurer delivered a budget in October, and that budget said prices would go up by over 50 per cent in the next two years. What that means is that, for people back in Queensland, back in our electorates around the country, their power bills are increasing; their gas prices are increasing. When they're throwing a shrimp on the barbie this Christmas and they go down and grab a SWAP'n'GO cylinder, the prices are going up.

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