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

My question as to the Prime Minister. If the government's energy policy is working, why are 500 families a week going onto energy hardship arrangements?

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

Order. The member for Spence will leave the chamber under standing order 94(a).

The member for Spence then left the chamber.

Interjecting during a question, and particularly before a minister answers, is highly disorderly. I don't know why it's so hard for people to understand that.

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

I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for her question. The deputy leader was of course one of those people who opposed our Energy Price Relief Plan. She opposed $3 billion in rebates for households and businesses that have made a substantial difference. The fact is that what we are doing is getting on with the job of making a difference, which was what our intervention into the gas and the coal market was about—in an unprecedented way, to be fair. It wasn't something that was anticipated because Australia, like the rest of the world, was not anticipating the biggest energy crisis since the 1970s—since what occurred under OPEC way back in 1974. As a direct result, governments around the world have had to take unprecedented action and have had the courage to do so—

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

The member for New England.

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

which is why we intervened, in conjunction with both Labor and coalition governments at the state level, to make a difference—to put caps on prices so as to limit those price rises. Relief was also provided by federal and state governments to households and businesses. In addition to that, mechanisms were put in place to make a difference—for example, $1.6 billion for energy efficiency upgrades for homes and businesses, including the Small Business Energy Incentive. What we have done is make a difference and we are prepared to take action. Indeed, I'll quote what AEMO, who the opposition quoted earlier on, actually said on 25 January:

Record generation from grid-scale renewables and rooftop solar is triggering wholesale energy prices and greenhouse emissions to fall …