Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Water. How many renewable energy projects has the Albanese Labor government approved? How will these projects ease the cost of living for all Australians? How do government approaches differ to other proposals?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to the member for Bendigo for her question. I know that she is a great supporter of lower power bills for people who live in her electorate and the businesses in her electorate. She supports the $300 energy bill rebate and she supports cheaper, cleaner, renewable energy. I'm very pleased to report that the government has now approved 65 renewable energy projects. That is more than enough to power well over seven million homes across Australia. The most recent project is right up the road from the member for Bendigo: the 250-megawatt Muskerry Solar Power Station.

That will produce enough renewable energy to power more than twice as many homes as in the Greater Bendigo area. What is terrific about this proposal that will go ahead is that it was approved in just 20 business days, so, as well as more renewable energy, we have doubled on-time approvals since coming to government. Of course, the renewable energy transition is cracking along under this government. That means that we're already seeing falls in wholesale power prices down to around 16 per cent.

What is the biggest risk to this? The biggest risk to this is the uncosted, risky, 20-year-in-the-future nuclear energy fantasy proposed by those opposite. It's going to cost around $600 billion. It's going to take 20 years. It will add $1,200 to bills. One of the things that is truly troubling about it is that it will keep coal in our system for much longer. Because of that, it will add around 1.7 billion tonnes of extra carbon dioxide pollution to our atmosphere. So we've got a real choice. We've got a slow, risky, expensive transition to nuclear or a fast, certain transition to renewables that's already happening under us. You've got $1,200 added to domestic power bills under those opposite, or you've got the $300 energy bill relief under us and cheaper renewables for families and businesses.