Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure to speak on this topic today. It's a fantastic opportunity, because this matter of public importance is one that impacts each and every Australian. It impacts the cost of living, our climate and environment, and it's a matter that Labor actually understands and gets and doesn't make up fanciful stories about. It's a matter Labor takes seriously. It's a matter that Labor is taking action on. So I thank member for raising this topic. Because goodness knows it's not a topic the opposition understands. It's not a topic the opposition takes seriously. It's not a topic the opposition took action on or is capable of taking action on.

Let's start with what those opposite did when they were in government. They had the chance to create a sensible energy policy, one that powered Australia into the future, helped ease the cost of living, and helped do our part to reduce global emissions and fight back against the changing climate. What did the Liberals and nationals do in their decade of government? Well, it's a bit hard to answer, because it's hard to pinpoint anything they actually did. In their decade in government those opposite had 22 energy policies; 22 policies that did not deliver for the Australian people; 22 policies that did not deliver for our environment; 22 policies that did not empower our nation. They flipped and they blocked. Their approach to energy was so chaotic that they even dumped their own Prime Minister over it.

The far right climate denying from the Liberals and nationals ripped up the National Energy Guarantee, setting Australia back years in our transition to a clean energy future. What did they do next? They had the failed underwriting new generation investment program, a program that did not deliver one single dollar to a project or one kilowatt of electricity to the market. After that we had the gas led recovery. But this was not a recovery; it was actually gaslighting. It gaslit Australian people. It failed to deliver affordable energy to our domestic energy market. It failed to deliver power to our industries. It failed to deliver anything whatsoever to the Australian people.

It was in this context that the Australian people voted those opposite out, because they could not address the challenges of the times, because they could not govern like adults, because they could offer no solutions—zero solutions—to support everyday working people during some of the most challenging times of the century.

When Labor came to power, we inherited a mess. But unlike those opposite, Labor is a government that actually takes action. We are a government that, when faced with a problem, can work together, come up with a solution and implement it to deliver for Australians. Labor understands energy bills are one of the biggest challenges facing Australian families and small businesses. With energy supplies impacted by the war in Ukraine and supply chain disruptions, Labor is acting to not only shore up our energy supplies but deliver cost-of-living relief and secure the green energy future that we need. The Albanese Labor government has delivered energy price relief rebates to more than five million households and one million small businesses to provide hundreds of dollars off bills. That's six million households and businesses that we have helped, compared to zero from those opposite.

Unlike those opposite, who were at war with the states and territories, this Labor government has worked collaboratively to reduce power bills. The relief builds on government's earlier market interventions to limit coal and gas price increases. Placing a temporary price cap on new domestic gas sales by east coast producers has helped keep wholesale gas contract prices under control, something that we know those opposite would never ever have been able to do. Australians know it's working. It's why the Australian Energy Regulator's Wholesale markets quarterly report shows that average wholesale electricity prices were less than half those in the same period last year.

Even with all this, those opposite maintain their bizarre, crazy, fantastical position and opposition. It's beyond belief. But, when you look at their voting record, it makes sense, because this is an opposition that has voted not only against cheaper energy prices but against all cost-of-living relief measures—all negativity, zero plan. Australians know this. While Labor is delivering more targeted tax cuts for working Australians, those opposite are voting against them. While Labor is building more social and affordable homes, those opposite are saying, 'Nuh.' When Labor is laying the foundations for the green energy future, those opposite have their heads firmly in the sand. They're still being held captive by the ideologically driven right flank of their coalition. The Leader of the Nationals has actually called for a pause on renewables, the cheapest form of energy.

Unlike those opposite, Labor sees that the transition to renewable energy is not only necessary but a golden economic opportunity. Australia stands as the most abundantly renewable-resource-rich nation globally, with more sunlight hitting our landmass than any other country. As a government, we are charging full steam ahead towards becoming a renewable energy superpower. Since being in power, Labor has simply got on with the job of helping us achieve this goal. We ended the climate change wars by enshrining our national emissions reduction targets into law and provided certainty to Australian businesses and investors, which they thank us for heartily. We announced new vehicle efficiency standards, giving Australians more choices of cheaper, more efficient cars to run. We've legislated our $20 billion Rewiring the Nation fund and achieved funding deals for vital new energy infrastructure with New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia, providing essential upgrades to the national grid. We are rolling out 400 community batteries around Australia to help Australian homes harness the cost savings of solar energy. This is what governments do if they take energy supply, affordability and sustainability seriously. We have a plan, and we're implementing it. Compare it with the opposition's decade of doing absolutely nothing.

When we hear about all these amazing achievements of the Albanese Labor government and the opposition are still saying no, the obvious question becomes: what on earth is their plan? We know they don't like renewables. We know they don't want to provide cost-of-living relief. We know they can't be trusted to come up with a coherent energy policy. So what do they want to do? Well, lo and behold, the best those opposite can come up with is nuclear power. This is not a renewable resource. It is outdated, archaic and unbelievably expensive. Their so-called serious alternative plan is to build massive nuclear reactors right across the country, risking our pristine environment, our beautiful oceans, our communities and our schools with the threat of radioactive waste. It's not a plan; it's a fantasy. It's a fantasy because it would not only cost the country billions and billions of dollars, driving up the cost of energy for every hardworking Australian, but take decades and decades to build.

As we have heard, they have a plan for nuclear energy but they haven't got a plan for location or for disposal of the waste and don't know how much it's going to cost. That is not a plan. They have no plan to power Australia. They have no plan to protect our climate. They have no plan to address the cost of living. They have no plan for Australian families, businesses or communities.

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