Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government is getting on with the job of driving down energy prices after a wasted decade which saw the Liberals trot out 22 separate energy policies and absolutely nothing to show for it. For nine long years, other countries around the world seized the economic opportunities that come from investment in cleaner and cheaper energy. In the global race for new energy jobs and investment, we were falling behind the pack thanks to the Liberals opposite. The Albanese Labor government's energy plan is not just about investment in new, cleaner energy technology; it's also about taking action to shield Australian families and businesses from the worst of global energy price spikes. Our Energy Price Relief Plan—which Peter Dutton and the Liberal Party voted against—has decreased wholesale electricity prices by around 40 per cent. For example, a household in my electorate of Hawke could have expected to pay over $2,000 in energy bills next financial year. After the Albanese Labor government's intervention, that same household can expect to save $300 across that same period. And if that household is eligible for further rebates, they can save a further $250. Despite these savings for everyday household budgets, the Liberals have vowed to repeal this relief. They want to push prices up by 50 per cent because of their refusal to accept that an intervention can deliver better outcomes for the Australian people.

While keeping prices down, the Albanese Labor government is also helping businesses and households to access energy savings and upgrades through the 'save energy, save on bills' package. Too many people continue to pay for energy that is leaking out of buildings in inefficient appliances. That's why we're investing $1.6 billion in making homes, businesses and social housing more energy efficient, and driving down energy costs. This includes $1.3 billion to establish the Household Energy Upgrades Fund and $310 million for the Small Business Energy Incentive. The Albanese government wants to give families the tools, the information and the access to cheap financing that they need to take control of their own energy bills and choose effective upgrades for their homes and businesses, all while lowering emissions.

The Albanese Labor government is also focused on environmental repair as we rewrite Australia's outdated environment laws to better protect our environment and to make clearer, faster decisions. The measures in the 2023-24 budget will help us protect more of what's precious, repair more of what's damaged and manage nature better for future generations. I know that many communities in my electorate such as Blackwood, Coimadai, Bacchus Marsh and my home town of Ballan treasure the extraordinary natural environment around us, so I'm very proud to see our government and our minister doing so much more to ensure responsible protection of our environment.

We will invest $121 million to establish Environment Protection Australia to restore trust to a system that needs it and transform our system of approvals. It will be a transparent and independent body that will make environmental assessments as well as decide project approvals and the conditions attached to them. Importantly, it will also make sure that those conditions are being followed on the ground.

We're investing $236 million to establish a reliable national flood warning infrastructure network. The funding will be used to purchase and upgrade gauges, ensuring communities in flood-prone areas can be better prepared and supported when these disasters strike. This will build upon what the Albanese Labor government is doing to ensure that Australia is better prepared for future disasters after years of Liberal neglect in this space.

The Albanese Labor government's budget is delivering the financial and environmental outcomes that Australians want and need. We are putting downward pressure on energy prices, we are investing in future technology and we're protecting our environment. This is work that should not have been stalled, that should not have languished for the last decade under the Liberal Party, but we know that the Liberal Party never invest in these matters that are important to the Australian people. Our government will get on and do it.

Proposed expenditure agreed to.

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