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

I'm asked about energy policy and I'm happy to speak about it because, on Monday every household will get $300 off their energy bills and every small business will get $325 off their energy bills. That's something that those oppose; they're against it. So they come to the dispatch box—

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

Order! The Leader of the Nationals has had a really good go this question time, so he's warned and will not say another word for the remainder of question time.

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

They come to this dispatch box and ask questions about energy prices at the same time as they vote against energy relief in people's bills that will make a practical difference. And that's at the same time as they now propose the highest-cost new form of energy possible in nuclear. And the true cost of nuclear power in Australia is the grave risk and the great cost of going backwards—not just hundreds of billions of dollars in the cost of constructing the reactors more than a decade away and not just the price that households and businesses would pay for energy that is eight times more than renewables. But it's the danger in that another decade of denial prevents the action on climate but also the investment in energy that we need right now. I have no comprehension, because the opposition haven't released any detail at all of how they could possibly think that the most expensive form of new energy will somehow do anything other than to drive energy costs up.

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

Member for Lindsay, a point of order?

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

The question was about families paying more. It was a broad-ranging political question, but the Prime Minister will return back to the question.

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

I'm speaking very directly about energy and costs and what the risks are of those opposite, because they want to have nuclear power to be deployed as just the latest part of culture wars. But what they want to do is to drive investment away. What we are doing is adding to supply. Indeed, our plan will add 32 gigs to the system by 2030. Rooftop solar today is already generating twice as much energy as their reactors would by 2050. And we've seen a 25 per cent increase in renewables in the national grid. One of the reasons people are doing that in the electorate of Lindsay is to lower their energy bills. Just as it makes sense for households, it makes sense for our national economy as well.