Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. How has the Albanese Labor government acted to shield Australians from the worst of the global energy crisis, and what will this mean for energy bills? What approaches has the government rejected?

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

I thank my honourable friend for her question and recognise her leadership as a strong regional voice in this parliament, ensuring that our regions benefit from the clean energy revolution underway.

The honourable member asked about what we have done to shield Australians from rising energy prices. As she will recall, in December this government intervened, and we intervened again in budget. The figures showed that in our home state of New South Wales energy prices were projected to rise by 40 per cent. For those who've received the rebates, they've fallen by five per cent. In Queensland, energy prices were projected to rise by 43 per cent. They've fallen by 10 per cent. South Australia is another example. They were projected to rise by 51 per cent, and they've fallen by five per cent for those who received the rebate. That's the result of this government's intervention.

Of course, this was opposed by those opposite. The shadow Treasurer has tried to say that they were for it, but the Leader of the Opposition, to give him credit, has cleared that up. He was at the APPEA conference last week. He was railing against the government's intervention, he was railing against our policies, and he promised to repeal them. He promised to repeal the gas and coal cap, repeal the code of conduct, repeal safeguards. I'm not sure about PRRT, but he was dead against it. He was promising to repeal it all.

He told us he was inspired by Reagan. He was channelling his inner Reagan. I'm not sure which Reagan. I suspect it might be Nancy. Remember, 'Just say no,' she said. Nancy Regan was, 'Just say no,' and he's inspired by Nancy Reagan's approach. But I give credit where it's due—we're always fair—the Leader of the Opposition has been outlining a bit of policy. We saw a bit of policy in his budget reply—a little bit. He doubled down on the member for Fairfax's plan for nuclear energy for Australia. He backed it in. It wasn't so much Reaganomics as 'Duttonomics'. Ronald Reagan—

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

They had no costings! I'm happy to provide them. I'm just assisting those opposite—who haven't provided any costings—because they've got a thought bubble about nuclear energy. This is Duttonomics. The answer to higher power prices now, his idea, is to introduce the most expensive form of energy and the slowest form of energy. Ronald Reagan had trickle-down economics. The Leader of the Opposition's got scribble-down policies.