Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's previous answers about savings of $100 to $115 per household under his latest energy policy. Did the Energy Security Board provide any other lower figures to the government about possible household savings?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. The only information I have relating to the savings are contained in the letter from the Energy Security Board—that is now a public document—and that provides the $110 to $115 figure.

Mr Shorten interjecting—

The Leader of the Opposition is impugning the integrity of the members of the Energy Security Board. I ask him to withdraw.

Mr Shorten interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will not interject. The Prime Minister has the call.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Nothing is too low for this Leader of the Opposition. Having called on us to listen to the experts in the industry, and when we do, when we get their advice and we follow it, he now wants to attack the integrity of those very distinguished Australians who form the Energy Security Board and gave us such advice.

Let me be very clear about this: reliability and affordability go hand-in-hand. What we have seen in South Australia is that, because electricity is so unreliable, its price has become so volatile. More and more often we are seeing prices spiking well over $200 a megawatt-hour. That means South Australians, including the constituents of the member for Port Adelaide, are paying much, much more for their electricity. They are paying more for electricity and they are not keeping the lights on. So, it is vital to combine reliability and affordability and responsibility in meeting your international emissions reduction commitments. That is what the Energy Security Board has done. They have done that in their recommendations, which the government is adopting and will be taking to COAG. The opposition members who supported and welcomed the appointment of the Energy Security Board should stop this smearing of the integrity of the Energy Security Board members, which we hear from the Leader of the Opposition—smearing away, having a go at their integrity. He should be backing them, as we are, because they have the best understanding of the market. They have recommended a reform which will ensure we have affordable, reliable, energy, and we meet our international emissions reduction commitments.

Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health: I refer the minister to media reports in the Colac Herald in September that indicate South Australia and Victoria are facing summer blackouts and major power outages. Will the minister update the House—

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Corangamite will resume her seat. I'm not going to keep saying it—the member for Sydney can leave under 94(a).

The member for Sydney then left the chamber.

The member for Corangamite can begin her question again and the clock will start at the 30-second mark.

Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health: I refer the minister to media reports in the Colac Herald in September that indicate South Australia and Victoria are facing summer blackouts and major power outages. Will the minister update the House on action the government is taking to deliver a reliable and affordable energy supply to all Australians, and how will our vital health services benefit?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Corangamite, who believes deeply in the importance of keeping the lights on in our hospitals—hospitals such as Colac Hospital, which provides such fantastic services to the people of Corangamite.

Ms Chesters interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Bendigo!

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But, as we heard, there are real threats to the ability of those services to be delivered, because of the lack of a reliable and affordable energy supply in Victoria. We recently saw the headline, 'Energy market operator warns Victorians to prepare for summer blackouts'. The message contained in that article was: 'Australia's energy market operator has warned the state will be in a dire situation in Victoria if it faces an extreme summer'. Why? Because of the recent closure of Hazelwood. That came about as a result of the direct, deliberate, intentional destructive policy of the Victorian Labor government. What does that mean?

Ms Chesters interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Bendigo is warned!

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It means that we have a risk to the reliability of our energy supply in our hospitals, such as Colac Hospital, Echuca Hospital, and hospitals right around Victoria. We also have a risk to the affordability of energy right across Victoria's health service. We saw in the Colac Herald the report that Colac Area Health is facing a 78 to 80 per cent increase, or an additional $420,000 to $430,000 cost per annum. These are real costs that could have gone to better maternity services, better diabetes services and better health care for senior Australians in the Corangamite electorate and in every equivalent electorate around Victoria. That's why we're taking action. That's why the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and the energy minister have worked on a National Energy Guarantee, which is about dealing with the damage done by Labor policies in their renewables approach, in their approach to cutting down exploration for gas and in their extraordinary actions in blowing up a power station in South Australia and closing down Hazelwood in Victoria.

The electricity guarantee is about two very simple things. It's about making sure that there are lower costs for hospitals and for families—up to $115 a year in reduced pressure for families—and more reliable electricity for hospitals and for families, as opposed to the alternative of a $66 billion plan, which comes from Labor's 45 per cent target. That 45 per cent target means that the costs will be borne by hospitals, by families and by pensioners. At the end of the day, if you believe in reliable hospitals and better hospitals, you believe in our approach to downward pressure on prices. (Time expired)

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.