Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. Minister, on 31 July 2023, you told the chamber that electricity prices in the ACT had fallen due to its 100 per cent renewable energy generation. If you still believe this to be true, can you explain why the ACT energy provider, ActewAGL, has increased its prices by 12.75 per cent just this month?

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

I thank Senator McDonald for the question. In relation to ActewAGL, which is the provider here in the territory, that's really a matter for them. I don't have responsibility for the price setting. There's an ICRC in the ACT that does that, and then the utilities apply that to their account holders. So I can't answer on that, but what I can say is that the ACT has led the way in terms of renewable energy generation. I was proud to be part of a government that took that decision many years ago and started the shift from a reliance on gas, particularly, to more adoption of renewable energy across households in the ACT. Households in the ACT have been the beneficiary of that not only in terms of some of the price increases that we have seen around the country but also importantly in terms of supporting the investment into renewables.

I know we were one of the first jurisdictions to have reverse auctions for renewable energy projects. We were one of the first jurisdictions to have big solar farms built, providing energy into the grid here. I think the ACT has often led the way on these things, and I'm proud to be part of a government that continues to support the rollout of renewable energy. I'm proud to stand here and say it is the cheapest form of energy. It will help households with these costs. We don't support the scam that they're trying to pull on people with this nuclear energy fantasy that seems to be peddled by some over there—not all, because I've hardly seen you awake this question time in terms of leaning into support for such a so-called big announcement.

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

Senator McDonald, first supplementary?

Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, almost five per cent of this increase was due to network and transmission costs. Have transmission cost increases of five per cent been included in the costings of your renewables-only energy policy?

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

(—) (): Rewiring the Nation and the cost of that have been outlined in the budget paper since we came to government. Through Rewiring the Nation we're investing in the projects that are required but also in the transmission and how we hook other projects up to the grid. So, in terms of being upfront about what some of those costs are: yes, we have been. I can talk to other projects where those costs are outlined in the budget papers. But there is no doubt, whichever way you try to slice and dice it or confuse it or pretend it's otherwise, that renewables are the cheapest form of energy. The world is shifting to renewables, and here we have a so-called plan, a policy of a few pages, that doesn't say how much it costs, doesn't say how they will do it and doesn't say when they will do it. What a joke! You had 22 policies in government and you couldn't land one. You have one in opposition and you can't land that. (Time expired)

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

Senator McDonald, second supplementary?

Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, how much more are Australians paying for energy since the Prime Minister promised to reduce power bills by $275 on 3 December 2021?

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

Thankfully it hasn't been left to those opposite to decide this because, of course, they opposed the energy bill relief that we provided in the last budget. When we took a vote in this chamber about energy bill relief, taking the pressure off some concession households and small businesses, what happened over there? They opposed it. Whilst we are taking responsibility for the shift and the transition to a renewable energy system and being the renewable energy superpower that we can be and seizing all the opportunities that come with that, we are at the same time investing in that and making sure that people have some help with the cost of living and with their energy bills in particular. We can support households with the shift, seize the jobs that come, attract the investment we need, deliver the projects that are needed and be upfront and take responsibility for it—unlike those opposite.