Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. How is the Albanese Labor government providing cost-of-living relief, including through lower energy bills? What policies has the government rejected, and why?

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

I thank my honourable friend for the question. As a Victorian, he would know that, as of this week, with the $300 in energy bill relief from the Albanese government and the impact of the Victorian market offer, we are seeing Victorian energy bills, on average, come down by 23 per cent for households and 15 per cent for small businesses. That is how you deliver cost-of-living relief—concrete measures now, not fantasy nuclear reactors in 20 years time.

The honourable member asked me how this is different from other approaches. It's different because it reduces prices, rather than increases them. It's different because it cuts prices, rather than increases them. This week we've seen more policy from the opposition which pushes prices up. They want to rip up renewables contracts and they want to break up supermarkets. Ripping up renewables contracts puts energy prices up, and breaking up supermarkets puts grocery bills up.

We saw the headline in the Australian Financial Review this morning: 'Former competition regulator Graeme Samuel has savaged Peter Dutton's plan to break up supermarket giants, warning it could push up grocery prices for households.' We know energy prices have gone up by between $200 and $1,000, and now they're trying to put grocery prices up as well. It's not just the direct impact; there's also the impact on taxpayers. The opposition wants to create not one but two new government organisations to run its nuclear policy, which would add hundreds of billions of dollars of public debt, at the expense of taxpayers.

A couple of weeks ago, the shadow Treasurer said he's not having any subsidies on his watch—none. He's dead against subsidies. When he was asked about his policy, he said: 'Don't worry about it. It's all off budget. That makes it okay.' But, on 5 June this year, almost exactly a month ago, the shadow Treasurer had a different view about off-budget spending. He was talking about off-budget spending and he said, 'Billions of dollars of off-budget funds are causing higher inflation, higher interest rates and higher taxes.' So $45 billion off budget is terrible but $600 billion off budget is hunky-dory. It's hunky-dory according to the shadow Treasurer.

When they released their policy, they said:

From today, we will be speaking right across the country on the merits of our plan.

Have we heard much since? We have the Queensland Liberal National Party conference on the weekend: 173 items, none of them about nuclear power and none about lifting the ban. To be fair—as we know, I like to be fair—there are more important issues. They're debating banning the Aboriginal flag at public events, they're debating selling the ABC and they're debating getting rid of mandatory medical certificates for elderly drivers. What a forward-looking vision for our country! It warms the heart. But there's nothing about nuclear, nothing about lifting the ban in Queensland and nothing about energy prices, because this Leader of the Opposition is running a rabble. (Time expired)