Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

TED O'BRIEN () (): My question is to the Assistant Treasurer. In his speech introducing the Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 4) Bill 2022 last week, the Assistant Treasurer restated the government's commitment to 'lower the cost of electricity bills for consumers'. Does this mean the government is standing by its commitment to reduce household electricity bills by $275, or is this yet another cruel promise the government plans to break?

Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. The Albanese Labor government stands by each and every one of its promises, and we have been working to deliver on those promises for the last six months. While this mob over here have done everything in their power to stand in our way, we have been busy doing the work to ensure that we deliver on our promises, whether it has been introducing laws to get wages moving again; introducing laws to ensure that Australians can afford to make a choice about whether they stay at home and look after their kids or go back and work another couple of days to make ends meet; or ensuring that we can put our elderly Australians in an aged-care facility and know that they will get well fed and well cared for. We have been delivering on each and every one of our promises—and in the area of energy.

The fools on that side of the House come to the dispatch box each and every question time, asking their ridiculous questions, when they know that they have presided—

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

The Assistant Treasurer will take a breather. I'd like to 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

The Assistant Treasurer has form in repeatedly using unparliamentary language. He's just done it again, and he should be asked to withdraw.

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

I'm going to ask the Assistant Treasurer to withdraw and move on with his answer.

Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw. While this mob over here, on each and every day, in question time, have come to this dispatch box and asked us questions about what we're doing to help ordinary Australians meet their cost-of-living issues—

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my left!

Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For nine years they presided over a wreckage of energy policies—22 energy policies, not one of them delivered. We're doing the hard work to ensure that we can get—

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

Order! The Assistant Treasurer—

And I'm going to be very clear with the member for Wannon. You don't have the call.

You don't have the call. I didn't hear what you said. If you're going to come to the dispatch box and yell, you'll be warned.

You didn't have the call, so you'll wait until you get the call and then I'll hear you. I give the call to the Assistant Treasurer with one minute to go.

Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If members opposite want to know why there are pressures on our power system and on energy prices in this country, they should go and grab a mirror—22 failed energy policies, not one of them delivered. We're getting on with the job of ensuring that we have an energy policy which will deliver affordable and sustainable energy in this country, and they are doing their level best, day in and day out, to frustrate the delivery of that policy. If Australians want to know why their energy bills are going up, they should look no further than that fellow over there, because there is not a man or woman in this parliament who is more responsible for the increase in energy prices than the member for Hume over there. He has— (Time expired)

Honourable members interjecting—

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

When the House comes to order, I will give the call to the member for Parramatta.