Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

It was a very good question, arguably the best all day. On 1 July—in only six days time—we're taking $300 off the power bills of every regional household around Australia. Some of them are starting to smile for the first time today—we know you like that! In two decades, in contrast, Mr Dutton will serve up to regional Australians the most expensive form of energy there is with zero relief in the meantime.

Our reliable renewables plan is the only plan supported by experts to deliver the clean, cheap, reliable and resilient energy system that regional Australians deserve, and it's the only energy plan that is delivering jobs for regional Australians right now. Under Labor, we've had a 25 per cent increase in renewables in the national grid, we've had record investment in batteries and storage, we've had more than 50 renewable projects greenlit—enough to power three million homes—and we've had more than 330,000 rooftop solar installations last year alone, and many of these have been in regional Australia. That's because renewables are the cheapest form of energy, and getting more renewables into our system is the key to bringing regional power prices down. That is something that regional Australians already understand.

Only a few weeks ago, I was in Armidale in the electorate of anti-renewables zealot Mr Barnaby Joyce, and there I met with the local mayor, Mr Sam Coupland, who said that local farmers were increasingly putting wind turbines on their properties to shore up their businesses during times of drought. Mayor Coupland has also said the construction phase for renewables will likely last many years and provide a significant boost to the local economy. Former NFF president Mr Brent Finlay is another who is said to host more than a dozen turbines on his property in south-west Queensland, and he says this is a region that has been heavily impacted by drought and there's very little chance to diversify. This is a chance to diversify and spread— (Time expired)