Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. I particularly thank him as a South Australian member, because our intervention last December had an impact right across the national energy market, but it had its biggest impact in the honourable member's home state. The honourable member voted against energy price relief, and I would like him to explain to his constituents that our intervention has seen forward prices in South Australia come down 48 per cent—which is the biggest of any state in the Commonwealth. And, in fact, analysis from my department indicates that energy prices in South Australia, in SAPN, would have been $530 higher if it wasn't for the government's intervention.

So that's what the honourable member opposite voted for. A difference of $530 is what the honourable member opposite voted for. As the Prime Minister indicated earlier, this is the default market offer, and the reason honourable members can debate this is that it's public. An essential starting point for this debate at question time is that it's public for all to see, and under this government it always will be public. Under those opposite we're not quite so sure because they have a track record. The member for Hume signed a regulation to keep the last EMO secret until after the election, the most cynical and pathetic act this House has seen in a long time. But it gets worse. I say this about the honourable member for Hume—

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