Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question and for her very strong and clear climate leadership in her electorate and here in Canberra. The Albanese government's approach really has two parts. Firstly, we are providing direct relief to Australian families and to Australian businesses. Around five million households and around a million businesses are receiving direct support from the Albanese government as part of our energy relief package which passed through the parliament last year against the wishes of those opposite, who voted against it at every opportunity. They voted against it at each and every stage in this House and in the other place.

The other thing we're doing is proceeding to prudently manage the rollout of cheap, reliable renewable energy. The fact that wholesale prices are now under half what they were this time last year is in no small part due to the fact that renewable energy is fulfilling an increasing role in our energy mix. We know that renewable energy is cheap energy, even though those opposite simply don't understand it.

The honourable member asked me what approaches we have rejected. What we have rejected is a gamble by the opposition—it's not a plan; it's a gamble—on the unproven technology of small modular nuclear reactors, which the opposition—

We know the member for Fairfax is a big fan of small modular nuclear reactors. He does his little videos. They are the world's worst TED Talks, those videos! But they come out regularly.

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