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

I thank my honourable friend for the question. She's a great representative for the Sunshine State in this House. The people of the Sunshine State understand the benefits of renewable energy, with their massive take-up of solar energy and their very strong take-up of cheaper home batteries. The people of Queensland are well represented in the 100,282 households that have put in a cheaper home battery since 1 July. More than 100,000 households and small businesses have taken up this option. What that means is that we have now installed two gigawatt-hours of storage, and we have increased the capacity of Australia's home batteries, just since 1 July, by a full 50 per cent. This is a big boost to the grid, and it's a big boost to the opportunities for those households to reduce their energy bills.

On Sunday, the Attorney-General and I were in Rouse Hill visiting Kenny and his family. He told us he has reduced his energy bill, with his cheaper home battery, from $250 a month to $10. The reason the Attorney-General and I went to Rouse Hill is that that postcode, 2155, is the postcode with the highest take-up of cheaper home batteries in Australia. In Western Sydney, I know the Attorney-General is excited about that; I'm not sure about the member for Mitchell, who shares that postcode with the Attorney-General. But I know the Attorney-General is a very strong supporter of giving her constituents better choices to reduce their bills and emissions.

I'm asked by the member what the importance of unity is in this approach. It is very important. This side of the House is unified in our approach to reducing emissions in our pathway to net zero, and in our determination to provide cost-of-living relief to Australians as we do so. In the meantime, those opposite have been having a completely normal one over the parliamentary break. We've had the member for New England do the National Party the greatest service he's ever given them by announcing he's leaving. He might be off to One Nation. A former leader of a federal political party going to One Nation—what could possibly go wrong? We've never seen that before! It could be said they deserve each other.

The leader of the National Party responded to this. He said: 'Well, we won't be focused on Barnaby Joyce if he goes to another party. We'll be focused on ourselves. I don't think Australians like people who change their parties. The reality is that we will focus on ourselves.' I always try and find a bipartisan note at the dispatch box, as is well known, and I agree entirely with the leader of the National Party! They are focused on themselves. They are not focused on the Australian people. They are not focused on the economic opportunities that Australia sees in net zero. They are not focused on reducing bills for Australians in the outer suburbs and regions of this country. They are focused on their internal politics. It's the National Party interests, not the national interest. They are focused on themselves, and they continue to be.

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