Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. The October budget forecast a 56 per cent increase in electricity bills for Australian households over the next two years. Does the government believe the actual increase will be higher or lower than forecast?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We will update the figures in the budget in the normal way, as we do. They were released in October. They will be updated in May.

I would remind the chamber of the efforts that we put in place to reduce those unacceptable increases in electricity prices caused by a decade of delay, dysfunction and failure to land 22 energy policies—22. They released them all; didn't land one of them. We are now in a world where those opposite, after creating the problem and then hiding the problem before the election, are standing in the way of any solution to this. Indeed, in December, when we did bring forward—

I've already answered your question.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, resume your seat. Senator Colbeck?

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a point of order on direct relevance. Does the government believe the actual increase will be higher or lower?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Colbeck, the minister is being relevant to your question. Minister Gallagher, please continue.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. I answered the question, President, when I—

An opposition senator interjecting—

I did. I answered the question when I said those figures will be updated in the normal way. Senator Colbeck obviously wasn't listening when I directly answered his question when I first got to my feet.

But I would also say that the efforts we took, based on those results in the October budget, in recalling the parliament to put downward pressure on those increases was opposed by those opposite. So, the gall of you to come in here and feign concern over electricity prices—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

when you opposed the legislation that put in place the parameters—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

that put downward pressure on those prices.

Opposition senators interjecting—

The:

Minister, please resume your seat.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McGrath, I have called the chamber to order three times and you kept interjecting extremely loudly! That is disrespectful and disorderly. When I call the chamber to order it includes every single person in this place. Minister, please continue.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, President. I must say I am finding the level of interjections towards me quite confronting this question time. I feel very affronted by it, so thank you for your protection. But the gall of these people—

Senator Henderson, is that you yelling at me? (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Colbeck, first supplementary?

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why did the government break its promise, made on at least 97 occasions prior to the 2022 election, to cut electricity bills by $275?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government is getting on with implementing the powering the nation plan, which we took to the election. The legislation that's currently before the chamber, which was debated into the early hours of this morning and is being debated through the day today, is part of that. That is about dealing with the significant challenges we have in transitioning into the renewable energy superpower that we would like to be, which we will do without your help. The legislation will ensure that we are moving to renewables, that we're rewiring the grid, that we're supporting households with the transition, that we're supporting jobs in the transition, that we're supporting regions in the transition and that it's an orderly transition—or as orderly as it can be after a decade of delay and dysfunction from those opposite. That's what we're doing. We're doing exactly what we said we would do, and, where there are the challenges of the day, like a war in Ukraine that's increased prices around the world, we're dealing with them despite the opposition from those opposite.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Colbeck, a second supplementary?

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll try again. Why did the government break its promise, which it made on at least 97 occasions prior to the 2022 election, to reduce electricity bills by $275?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Colbeck refers to the Powering Australia plan, which we are implementing. I reject the assertion being put forward by Senator Colbeck, and I would similarly say to those opposite: why did you hide the electricity price increase before the election? What was that about? Was it because you didn't want to tell people? Was it because the member for Hume actually didn't want people to know that under your watch, with all of the energy leaving the system and not enough being replaced, there was going to be a significant increase in electricity prices? When you got confronted with that news, what did the member for Hume do? He hid it until a few days after the election. We are being upfront with the Australian people. Where there are challenges—we've seen them; we saw them in December, and we saw them in the budget—we've responded responsibly and carefully, and all those opposite did was oppose it, just as they oppose everything else we do.