Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There's no doubt that the cost of living is one of the greatest challenges of any government, but especially for this government. We are focused on doing everything we can to ensure that the Australian working people have relief when it comes to cost of living. There are many things that we're doing. For example, the minimum wage has increased since we've been in government, after we saw it stagnate for many, many years. Interest rates have come down. Productivity is going upward. These are measures that will be in place to help with the cost of living.

Of course, energy is one of the big issues when it comes to costs for the average Australian. And, when you look at energy bills, it is tough. It is hard. You can see the increases. But, I've got to say, we spent the last 12 years stagnant, not doing a single thing about energy costs. I say that because, when you look at the issue of where we are today—not only the number of renewable projects taking place but also the amount of investment in them—you see that the more investment we have in renewables, the more energy can be produced, which means there's more competition out there, which brings prices down.

What we had for the last 12 years under the coalition was a government with no energy policy and no renewables policy. So, if you were an investor wanting to put money into renewable energy, why would you, when there was total uncertainty? I wouldn't have, if I were an investor. Investors in renewables needed certainty. They now have it, and we're seeing it. We're seeing more players in the market, we're seeing more renewables and we're seeing that investment taking place, which will bring down the cost of energy for average households. Certainly it won't happen overnight, or within 12 months, because we've wasted nearly 20 years on this topic.

From 1 July this year, we've been rolling out billions of dollars worth of responsible support in this area. This includes, as I said, the increase to the minimum wage, longer paid parental leave, the energy bill relief and new incentives for apprentices, builders et cetera. This government has taken strong action to provide energy bill relief to Australian households and businesses while those opposite have opposed those measures at every step.

The government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program will help bring down the cost of a typical battery, which will be discounted by around 30 per cent. The Cheaper Home Batteries Program is part of our plan to create a fairer, cleaner, more reliable energy system but also to ensure that Australian households have cheaper energy, with an additional $150 in direct bill relief for every household and business also commencing. This will save households with existing rooftop solar up to $1,100 off their power bills every year, and those installing a new solar and battery system could save up to $2,300 per year. That's up to 90 per cent of a typical family's electricity bill. One in three Australians have rooftop solar, but only one in 40 have a battery. As a proud South Australian and the member for Adelaide, I'm delighted to see that five of the top 10 electorates for the take-up of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program are in South Australia. Adelaide, my federal seat, is No. 7 in the nation with 495 installations as of 18 August, just a couple of days ago.

I was very pleased to welcome Minister Bowen to my electorate earlier this month to discuss the new program. We heard firsthand from residents what an enormous difference this scheme will make in their quest to electrify more of their household items and motor vehicles et cetera. In South Australia, we've got a wonderful group called Electrify Adelaide, who attended the forum and answered questions from attendees about how to navigate the journey to energy independence. I'd like to take the opportunity to thank Matt Martin, Jasper Lee and the team from Electrify Adelaide for their passion and enthusiasm.

This will save households with existing rooftop solar up to $1,100 off their power bills every year. (Time expired)

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