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

My question is to the Prime Minister. What approaches to boosting Australia's energy production will help bring the cost of living down, and which approaches will make power more expensive? Why has the government chosen cheaper, more reliable energy, and are there any alternatives?

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

Whether it's the business community, the Australian Energy Market Operator or consumers, they all know that the best way to bring down prices is to introduce more supply from the cheapest form of new energy, and that is renewables. That's what the Australian Energy Market Operator has put in its Integrated System Plan, which of course costs less than 10 per cent of what they allege that it costs, as well. But it's all there on the website, and that was the basis of the plan that we actually took to the election.

The Integrated System Plan was in place under them; it's just that they didn't act on it. But we've acted for a 43 per cent reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050. There's the Safeguard Mechanism and the Capacity Investment Scheme. We're making sure that we provide appropriate support as well through programs like the Solar Sunshot program, the hydrogen program and the program for batteries, which will make a difference for jobs and also make a difference in reducing energy prices.

People who've had a look at this know that that's the case, and that's why earlier today I announced it in a press conference with the minister, Matt Kean, who has taken up the position of Chair of the Climate Change Authority. This is a guy who was the New South Wales treasurer and the New South energy minister and environment minister in a coalition government. That lasted for three terms—for longer than the last coalition government did there opposite. At the same time, as serious policies were being introduced, they had 22 policies and didn't land one of them. But none of the 22 had nuclear as part of the system.

Indeed, even last year you had the Leader of the Opposition saying he was opposed to large reactors. He said this on 2 March as a birthday present for me! He said this:

I don't support the establishment of big nuclear facilities here at all. I'm opposed to it.

That's not ancient history; that was last year! And why? It's because experts say it'll push up power bills by a thousand bucks. It'll cost hundreds of billions of dollars—at least eight times more than solar or wind. It will only deliver, according to Grattan, about 3.7 per cent of the energy that we need. Six of the seven sites have said no. They can't even get the support of the Queensland LNP leader or any of the other Liberal leaders around the country to remove the ban that is in place. It's even the National Party leaders in places like Victoria—

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

Your time has completed.

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

On that note, Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.