Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to reports out of this morning's coalition party room and ask: will the Prime Minister acknowledge that Australians are paying the highest energy prices on record because of a lack of policy certainty caused by this government being obsessed by infighting? How can Australians have confidence in a government that fights with itself over energy policy everywhere: in the party room, in the parliament, through the media and even in charcoal chicken shops?

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

As the honourable member knows full well, the big factors behind the increase in energy prices in recent times have been failures of policy by Labor governments. The honourable member knows very well about this—

Mr Keogh interjecting—

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

The member for Burt is warned!

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

because of the time he's at home in South Australia. He knows what it's like.

Mr Keogh interjecting—

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

The Prime Minister will pause for a second. The member for Burt has been warned. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that he was interjecting so wildly that he didn't hear me warn him, but I want him to have no doubt now. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

Thank you, Mr Speaker. He knows what it's like when you combine Labor-Greens ideology and idiocy, which is precisely what happened in South Australia. It got to the point where the wind resource in South Australia could generate more than 100 per cent of the state's demand one minute and then zero per cent the next, and there was no planning to store it or back it up at all, and the honourable member knows that, as do all South Australians. The reality is this: our policies are working. Labor failed in allowing the export of gas from the East Coast without looking after the Australian domestic industry and demand. We have ensured there is sufficient gas available and we've seen wholesale gas prices come down over the last 18 months by around 50 per cent, and the honourable member is very well aware of that. We've seen wholesale generation costs come down by about 30 per cent over the last year. We're starting to see reductions in retail prices across the East Coast—the markets of the National Electricity Market—and there is a lot more to do with the National Energy Guarantee. We are already seeing and delivering lower energy prices. There's more work to do. Labor should support the National Energy Guarantee. It will deliver affordable and reliable power and, at the same time, enable us to meet our Paris commitments.