Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy Affordability) Share this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government's motion talks about cheaper energy. Clearly, every member opposite advocating for this motion has forgotten their commitment at the last election to reduce power bills for Australians by $275. The default market offer released recently demonstrated that Western Sydney residents needed the reference price to drop by $1,000 to reach the Albanese Labor government's target of $275 less on power bills by 2025, from 2022 prices.

Small businesses facing the crunch in this energy affordability crisis will continue to struggle, regardless of a $325 hit from the government next financial year. There is a gym in Penrith, in my electorate in Western Sydney, with energy costs that have more than doubled, from $13,000 to $27½ thousand. A local manufacturer in Emu Plains said their energy bills have gone up 100 per cent. A defence manufacturing contractor in Jamisontown recently told me that they are struggling to stay open. How are small and family businesses and medium-sized enterprises across Western Sydney and, of course, all across Australia meant to survive under such financial burdens?

We have seen a mass closure of manufacturers under the Albanese Labor government's watch, since May 2022. This harms local jobs. Western Sydney is crying out for more opportunities for locals to work across our community. We cannot afford to lose such important jobs for those with skills in manufacturing. They are desperately needed. And let's not forget the need for more gas supply in the domestic market. Almost half of manufacturers that use heating processes need natural gas. We need more gas approvals to ensure our sovereign capability is not at risk.

I wrote an op-ed for the Daily Telegraph last week in which I said that many manufacturers need 24/7 power, particularly in the form of gas, to ensure they can keep producing steel, aluminium and plastic products. These are the manufacturers in Western Sydney—heavy-industry manufacturers that create local jobs. The Albanese Labor government does not get this. I walk the floors of these manufacturers, and they simply can't put solar panels on their roofs and hope for the best. Gas is needed for them now.

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy has been busy fighting the ideological fight in his op-eds. Guess what. The coalition isn't putting ideology into the debate. Rather, we have a technology-agnostic approach to reaching net zero emissions by 2050 in a way that will ensure affordable and reliable power for all Australians. We have a minister who admitted that he didn't need to legislate his net zero target but chose to for investment purposes. Well, let's lift the ban on nuclear for civil industry in this country to see what investment can take place. But I know that neither the minister nor the rest of those opposite will want to do this. This is despite all G20 countries except Australia using nuclear energy. Why is it good for other major economies across the world but not for Australia? Why is it okay for our submariners to be in nuclear powered submarines but not for nuclear to power industry and homes across Australia? They're all quiet on the other side when the coalition members mention this.

It is a fact: nuclear will cost a lot less than the $1.2 trillion to $1.5 trillion figure for the renewables-only approach thanks to this Labor government. Labor's approach would require up to 58 million solar panels, 3,500 new industrial wind turbines and up to 28,000 kilometres of new transmission lines across Australia. There is no country in the world that relies on solar and wind alone in the way that Labor is proposing to. By contrast, there are 32 countries operating zero-emissions nuclear plants, and another 50 countries are looking to do so.

The coalition is happy to continue having this debate with Labor and will continue talking to the Australian public about its realistic approach to energy policy to bring down power prices for everyday Australians when they are struggling so much in this cost-of-living crisis, to ensure 24/7 energy and to create a new long-lasting industry for this country. Everyone across Western Sydney wants this, and every Australian deserves it.

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