Emma Comer (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It has now been endorsed by the members for Goldstein, Moncrieff and Berowra. It has been backed by Senators Hume, Kovacic and Bragg, which is confusing, seeing as Senator Bragg threatened to quit the front bench if the Liberals dumped net zero. Does this mean there's a vacancy in the shadow cabinet? Is the member for Canning eyeing it off?

The party that introduced net zero targets when last in government have now dumped them—but then stated they support the Paris Agreement—and the former cancels out the latter; it simply doesn't make sense. From the number of backflips on policy we witnessed during the election campaign and continue to see now, you'd think they're eyeing off the green and gold jerseys of the Australian Olympic gymnastics team! The party that once claimed the legacy of Menzies has now proudly transformed itself into the party of Barnaby Joyce. The coalition are opposed to net zero emissions, but they are committed to winning net zero seats.

While they're busy trying to reinvent themselves—or, rather, regress themselves—here are the facts. The Albanese government is delivering a responsible, sensible and effective energy plan. We have delivered three rounds of targeted power bill relief, we capped gas prices when it mattered and we have invested heavily in cheap, clean renewable energy, and those opposite voted against every one of those measures. Every time we backed Australians, those opposite backed higher bills. And what happened when we took action? Wholesale electricity prices fell by a third in the last quarter, not by accident and not by chance but by this government acting when the opposition refused to. We want wholesale price drops to flow through to retail bills as fast as possible, and the experts warn that delays would do the opposite. The Australian Energy Market Commission reported that delaying renewable generation and transmission would put upward pressure on electricity bills. If you delay, you pay, and delay is exactly what the coalition is offering.

Our plan is working. Last month, renewables supplied half of the national electricity market. Last year alone, more than five gigawatts of new solar, wind, battery and gas capacity entered the system. We have approved 111 renewable and related projects, which will be enough to power 13 million homes. More than one in three Australian households now have rooftop solar, with over four million solar installations, and the great state of Queensland is leading the way. Since July, more than 120,000 household batteries have been installed, which has boosted the national battery capacity by 50 per cent. We have introduced overdue energy market reforms to ensure consumers get the best deals possible. Compare that to the decade of disaster delivered by those opposite. During those opposite's time in government, 24 out of Australia's 28 coal-fired power stations announced their closure. And what did they do? Absolutely nothing. There was no replacement plan, no transition plan, no grid modernisation—net zero action. They announced 23 different energy policies and did not land a single one—not one! Their chaos created the energy mess that Australians are still paying for today.

We know what doing nothing looks like. Research shows household power bills could rise by $449 a year by 2030 if Australia slows renewable investment and leans on coal and gas. Prices could climb by more than $600 a year if a major coal plant fails unexpectedly. Treasury warns that abandoning net zero would mean lower growth, fewer jobs, higher prices and less investment. A disorderly transition would cost the economy $1.2 trillion by 2050. Recent research shows that electricity prices today would be 50 per cent higher if Australia had relied entirely on coal and gas instead of investing in renewables.

While the coalition argues about whether climate change is real, this government is lowering emissions, driving investment and modernising the grid, fighting for a safer and cleaner and more prosperous future. (Time expired)

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