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

My question goes to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. In the last week alone we learnt that Labor has officially broken its promise of a $275 reduction in household power bills by up to $1,000. Over 500 families a week are going on energy hardship arrangements, and the east coast gas market is facing material shortfalls from next year. Why is the Albanese government making life harder for Australian families already struggling to cope with Labor's cost crisis?

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! When House comes to order and there are no interjections I'll call the Minister for Climate Change and Energy.

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

I thank the honourable gentleman for his question. It went to two things, as I heard the question. It went to energy prices and gas shortages. Let me deal with both—

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

The minister will pause.

Order! We're just going to do this in an orderly manner. The minister was asked a question by the member for Fairfax. Within 12 seconds the yelling, the screaming—that's not helpful, and he knows that's disrespectful. He knows that's against the standing orders The member for Fairfax will leave the chamber under 94(a). That sort of behaviour, as everyone knows, is completely unacceptable.

The member for Fairfax then left the chamber.

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy has the call.

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

The honourable member asked me about energy prices and he asked me about the impact of government policy. Well, the fact of the matter is that this government's intervention has saved a customer on Ausgrid $843; or, in Victoria, $555; $819 in South-East Queensland; $992 in South Australia. These are policies introduced by this Prime Minister, this Treasurer, this government and opposed—actually voted against in all readings of the House and in the Senate—by those opposite, and they have the temerity to come in here and say we should do something about power prices, when they voted against the intervention that was designed and has achieved those results!

Then we saw the Leader of the Opposition misquoting the Australian Energy Regulator in a previous question. But what the Australian Energy Regulator actually did do last week was announce reductions in power prices, partly as a result of the intervention of this government which they opposed. It takes more front than David Jones to come in here and oppose those things and then ask why we aren't doing more.

The honourable member also asked me about the Gas Statement of Opportunities and how it flagged shortfalls in gas. Let's go through the Gas Statement of Opportunities for the last 10 years. In 2013, the statement said:

… there may be potential shortfalls in Queensland and New South Wales …

In 2014, it said:

Short-term projected gas shortfalls remain unchanged to 2017 …

In 2015, it said:

Forecast gas supply gaps to 2034 in Queensland are 214 PJ …

In 2016 it said:

Shortfalls totalling 50 petajoules (PJ) are forecast …

I think there's a pattern emerging. In their 2017 gas report AEMO said:

Maintaining system security is becoming more challenging …

In 2018 they said:

Projected southern supply gaps first appear in 2030 …

In 2019 they said:

… the forecast supply-demand balance is tight from 2021 to 2023 …

Two patterns have emerged: shortfalls in every statement and all under a coalition government. What we have done is introduce a gas code of conduct which has seen new supply being legally enforced and promised. That will deal with, and has dealt with, the most immediate challenges relating to gas shortfalls. That is what we have done in relation to 10 years of policy indolence that the previous government were warned about on multiple occasions and did nothing about.