Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. This morning the Energy Regulator released data showing electricity bills surging under this government by up to 25 per cent for households and 29 per cent for small businesses. The Prime Minister explicitly and repeatedly promised less than a month before last year's election that he would deliver cheaper electricity and an annual cut of $275 to electricity bills. Prime Minister, how can Australians already suffering cost-of-living challenges possibly trust the Albanese government to keep this promise?

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order. Do not interject when the leader is asking his question. It goes to both sides. I give the call to the Prime Minister.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

ALBANESE (—) (): Today, Clare Savage, the chair of the Australian Energy Regulator, said:

It's much lower than where we were fearing it could have been last September, October.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What would she know? A lot of what we have seen in the price increases today have been driven by unreliable coal plants, outages and very high fossil fuel prices so that transition to clean energy is critical to bringing down prices.

What we are seeing is that the contracts that retailers buy for the coming financial year have fallen quite a bit since the intervention in the coal and gas markets in October last year. They are about 40 per cent lower than they were in October last year. That's what Clare Savage, the chair of the Australian Energy Regulator, said.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What did you say?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, he promised to smile more if they made him leader, but I've seen no evidence! There it is! That cheeky little smile.

Government members interjecting—

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

Order, members on my right.

And the member for Page—

and the member for Gippsland—will cease interjecting so that I can hear from the Leader of the Opposition on a point of order.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order on relevance. This Prime Minister might treat the Australian public like a joke, but use your own words. You promised—

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

Resume your seat. Just before the Prime Minister continues, the Leader of the Opposition knows he has a great deal of latitude. Points of order for the rest of today will be made in accordance with the standing orders, which will simply be to state the point of order, which is relevance, and no further commentary. I give the call to the Prime Minister.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. He's angry because he knows that he voted against helping people. He voted against $3 billion in direct bill relief. He voted against the price caps on gas and coal that the Energy Regulator was speaking about today. He's angry because he opposed the Safeguard Mechanism—their own policy, supported by business and industry. He's angry because he was a part of a government that had 22 energy policies but didn't land one. He's angry because he left us with an energy grid that was built for the last century. He's angry because his government gave $4 million to the proponents of a coal-fired power plant in Collinsville, knowing there was no chance—no chance!—that it would actually go forward.

Those opposite are frozen in time while the world warms around them. Those opposite have no way forward. We have had practical measures put forward in this parliament to deal with the challenges that have arisen, that are global challenges that have had a global impact. Those opposite left us with a policy that simply wasn't landed. We're going forward and making a difference.

Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. What is the government's response to the release of today's default market offer and what action has the government taken to shield Australians from the worst of the global energy crisis? Are there any threats to this action?

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The House will come to order. The member for O'Connor needs to be reminded that before the minister has spoken is not the time to say a word. The member for Herbert is not helping either.

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 Werriwa for the question. She's a very strong advocate for south-western Sydney. She knows the importance of supporting families and households in places just like south-western Sydney through the period of elevated energy prices.

The default market offer released by the Energy Regulator, Clare Savage, this morning does confirm ongoing pressure on power prices and the ongoing relief provided by the Albanese government and the importance of that relief. In the announcement made this morning by Clare Savage she indicated, for example, that the default market offer, which is a safety net offer that one in 10 households are on—

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

The member for Barker will cease interjecting or will be warned.

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

in New South Wales, our home state, has seen a 21 per cent increase, compared to what the Energy Regulator indicated to the government was likely—a 40 per cent increase—absent intervention. In relation to those households, 1.6 million in New South Wales, for example, have received the rebates negotiated by the Treasurer on behalf of the Commonwealth and the states and territories. Instead of facing a 40 per cent increase in power bills they will see an eight per cent decrease, an eight per cent cut, in their energy bills as a result of the intervention of the Albanese government.

There are similar figures right around the country. Take South Australia for example, which was facing a 51 per cent increase. Instead we've seen a 24 per cent increase. After the impact of the rebates, there has been a three per cent cut in their energy bills.

The choice facing the Australian parliament was either to let these increases flow through to Australian households doing it tough and Australian businesses doing it tough or to intervene and act. The government chose to intervene and act. We've seen the impact of that today. Indeed, as the Prime Minister indicated, the Energy Regulator, in crystal-clear language, made the importance of that intervention clear earlier today, saying that these increases would have had a five in front of them in the absence of action. We've seen a similar response from the Australian Energy Council when talking about the impact of the rebates.

The honourable member asked me about threats. Not only did those opposite vote against the intervention but the Leader of the Opposition has doubled down, not admitted he got it wrong and said that he would rip up this intervention if he became Prime Minister. He would repeal the intervention. He would see these power price increases flow through to Australians without any intervention on his behalf. He wouldn't step forward to protect Australians against the impact of these increases. He would just let them rip. That's his policy—let these increases rip.

This government has a different approach. Whether you're in south-western Sydney or in suburbs or regions anywhere in Australia, this government will intervene to protect you from the impact of these power price rises. We will intervene to ensure support for Australians— (Time expired)

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! There's far too much noise in the chamber, particularly coming from over here. If it continues, people won't be warned; they'll be asked to leave.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Hardworking Australian households and small businesses received news today that they will see huge increases in their electricity prices from 1 July. Each year households will be worse off by $594 in New South Wales, $512 in South Australia and $402 in South-East Queensland, even though the Prime Minister promised they would be $275 better off. Why did the Prime Minister break his promise and lie to the Australian people?

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

I think I know what the Leader of the House is going to say, but I want to hear from him.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition knows that that was out of order, and I ask (1) that it be withdrawn as unparliamentary and (2) that action be considered into whether the question remains on foot at all.

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

The question is out of order, but I'm going to give the Deputy Leader of the Opposition a chance to rephrase it. Just withdraw the last part of the question and start a question again, without that inference at the end.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw the last part of the question. My question remains to the Prime Minister: hardworking Australian households and small businesses received news today that they will see huge increases in their electricity prices from 1 July. Each year households will be worse off by $594 in New South Wales, $512 in South Australia and $402 in South-East Queensland, even though the Prime Minister promised they would be $275 better off. Why did the Prime Minister break his promise to the Australian people?

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

Member for Deakin, I just warned the member for O'Connor about saying things before the Prime Minister or any other minister speaks. You will be warned now. If you say one more thing during question time, you'll be asked to leave. You have been continually disruptive all throughout the week.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm asked about promises with regard to energy. At the 2019 election, the coalition promised to reduce the wholesale price of electricity to $70 per megawatt by the end of 2021. Spoiler alert: it didn't happen. By the time they left office, the price was $286. They promised $70 and they delivered $286. That was what we inherited. When they were in charge, the member for Hume also promised $1 billion to deliver 3,800 megawatts of new power generation. Spoiler alert: it didn't happen. Not a single kilowatt.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not one?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not one. Not a single dollar—not even a watt.

A government member: What! Why?

Not a why and not a watt! They also promised a feasibility study on Collinsville. They didn't even publish a study. The proponents got 4 million bucks—$4 million! For what? They produced less than Barnaby Joyce produced as an envoy.

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order, members on my left and right! The Prime Minister is using the incorrect titles for members, and I ask him to refer to all members by their correct—

Order! I want to hear from the Manager of Opposition Business.

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

On relevance, Mr Speaker: the question was very clearly about the Prime Minister's policies—this government's policies and their lack of consistency with what they promised. The standing orders are very clear. Ministers can be asked about and can respond about what the government is doing. The Prime Minister is off on a frolic, and he should be brought back to the question.

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

The—

An honourable member interjecting—

No. I'm just going to call the—

An honourable member interjecting—

If I'm trying to rule on a point of order, I don't need assistance from people interjecting. I was going to say the Prime Minister has had—

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Twelve months!

Honourable members interjecting—

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

I'll just call the Prime Minister, in continuation.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Seriously, Mr Speaker!

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! The Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting. The House is going to come to order. There is a general warning for the entire House now. The Prime Minister will be heard in silence. Otherwise, action will be taken.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks very much, Mr Speaker. We also had promises about Liddell. The former minister, the former member for Kooyong, used to stand here and speak about keeping it open. He promised time and time again. It closed at the end of April, exactly as was planned under their watch. That's exactly what was planned.

What we have done is put in place a real plan, a real plan of $3 billion of energy price relief that they voted against—up to $500 in bill relief for eligible households and up to $650 in bill relief for small businesses. Real relief, right off your power bill, right when you need it. We've provided in the budget $1.6 billion for energy efficiency upgrades, including the new Small Business Energy Incentive. With Rewiring the Nation, $16 billion has been provided to unlock the grid, to upgrade it, so that it's able to accept more renewable energy. We signed Marinus Link, which was talked about by those opposite but nothing happened. We declared the first offshore wind zone in Australia. Four hundred community batteries are being deployed across Australia. We've implemented the Capacity Investment Scheme to unlock over $10 billion of investment in batteries, pumped hydro and more renewables in our grid. We have practical plans. Every one of them is opposed by the naysayers opposite.