Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Businesses in my electorate of Lindsay in Western Sydney, like Screaming Beans cafe, are struggling with the pressure of rising inflation and power prices. Given the budget indicates that power prices will increase by 56 per cent, why are businesses like Screaming Beans having to pay for the Prime Minister's broken promise to cut power prices?

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

I thank the honourable member for her question. This government is extremely concerned about power prices for businesses, small, medium and large, and about power prices for industry—and for residences as well. This government has taken the approach of being straight with the Australian people about the pressures on energy prices—the pressures caused by very high coal and gas input costs.

That's why we took the approach in the budget, and why the Treasurer took the approach in the budget, of being straight with the Australian people. There was an alternative approach: the alternative approach is not to be straight with the Australian people. We took option A, to be straightforward with the Australian people. The previous government took option B, of hiding those price rises. They are in every sense the B team—option B was the one embraced by the member for Hume—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will resume his seat. I'll hear from the Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, it's on relevance. Previously, on 1 August, you directed a minister to be relevant to the question where the minister had strayed and began talking about the record of the former government. They can't help themselves; he's done it again and he should be directed back to the question.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes. The minister has set some context, one minute in. I'm going to ask him to return to the specific broken promises alleged in the question and also to the rising power prices, which were also in the question which he is referring to.

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

In relation to rising power prices: that's the option they took. And there has been a bit of a development in recent days on this important topic which will be of interest to the House, because, previously, the member for Hume denied hiding the power price rises. He said it didn't happen. Then he said he didn't know about the power price rises when he changed the law. And then last week at the National Press Club, he said, 'I was acting on departmental advice.' How pathetic, to blame your public servants for your decision. That's how pathetic these guys are! Blaming the department! That's what they've lowered to.

On this side of the House we take the alternative approach. That's why the Prime Minister, the Treasurer, the industry ministry, the resources minister and myself have made it very clear: we will not be standing by and watching the prices of coal and gas just flow through to Australian industries and households. That's what you did, and you didn't have the guts to tell the Australian people that you couldn't help them with power prices. You hid it from the Australian people. That's how pathetic you got and that's how pathetic you still are!

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the next member, I just remind all ministers to direct their comments through the chair.