Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Emergency Management) Share this | Hansard source

We do know that Australians are working hard right now. They're working hard to keep their budgets on track, and some Australians are doing it tough. What it means is that every little bit counts. This is why our government's No. 1 priority is helping Australians with cost-of-living challenges.

Over the last few weeks many Australian families will have received an electricity bill, and every single one of those bills will be cheaper as a consequence of this government's energy price relief policies. More than 10.7 million Australian households have now received a Commonwealth rebate on their energy bills. More than one million small businesses have also received a rebate. It is part of a $3.49 billion investment by the Albanese government. The most recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that the government rebates are having a direct impact on bills and on inflation. According to ABS, electricity prices have fallen 12.3 per cent since June 2023. Without Labor's energy relief fund, electricity prices would have increased 15.4 per cent in that same period. This means more money in the pockets of Australian families.

Our government's energy bill relief supports the investments we are making in the longer term to put downward pressure on energy prices. On 30 October we hit the highest renewable penetration recorded at nearly 75 per cent. It was the third record broken in quick succession. South Australia and Tasmania already regularly meet more than 100 per cent of their operational electricity demand from renewables. Labor is supporting the build-out of firmed renewables, and that is because they are the lowest-cost form of new generation.