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

I thank my honourable friend for the question, and we're delighted he's back because he does a great job and he's got a lot more to do for the people of Bean and the people of Australia. The honourable member asked me about progress in implementing our policies, particularly the Cheaper Homes Batteries Program, which turns four weeks old tomorrow. It's been implemented for four weeks tomorrow, and I think the House might like to know how many cheaper home batteries have been installed over those four weeks. The answer is 15,325 over those four weeks. And where are they? I do have some disappointing news for the member for Hume: he's been knocked off the leaderboard. His electorate is no longer leading New South Wales for the number of home batteries; it is now the member for Gilmore's. Gilmore has had more batteries installed than any other electorate in New South Wales.

But there is some good news for those opposite. In Victoria it is Flinders which has installed more batteries than any other. A big thumbs up from the member for Flinders—thanks for the support of the policy. In Queensland, what electorate in Queensland, remembering we said this policy was for the regions and for the outer suburbs? It's the great electorate of Wright which has introduced more batteries, installed over the last four weeks, than any other. Those well-known woke warriors of Wright, getting behind the government's policies. And I'm sure the member for Wright joins with the member for Flinders in saying this is great policy that's being implemented smoothly.

The member asked me: are we being asked to consider any other alternatives? Of course we are and so is Australia, because the coalition's No. 1 priority today—we saw it on the Notice Paper; we saw a big press conference outside—is the member for New England introducing his anti-net-zero bill. Our priority? Cheaper medicines, lower HECS debt. They're priority? Getting rid of net zero!

The other thing that's surprising about the member for New England introducing this legislation is he's pre-empted the review. The coalition's having a big review of net zero. The National party's appointed a very thorough independent reviewer in Senator Canavan. Who knows what he might find! He's gotta take submissions. He'll be taking submissions from the regions, presumably. Somebody from the regions said this: 'It's my strong belief that rural and regional Australia has a lot to benefit from the move to net zero. I certainly hear that from farmers and my rural communities. I'm so excited for my rural communities and for the country, and, as a whole for the future, I think that the net zero by 2050 aim is perfect.' The now leader of the opposition said that in 2021. That's what the Leader of the Opposition said in 2021. This is a reminder, when you have these reviews underway: appointing Senator Canavan to review net zero is a bit like putting Coldplay in charge of kiss cam—it doesn't necessarily lead to a happy marriage!

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