Zhi Soon (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is my pleasure to join my colleagues the member for Forde and the member for Griffith in reminding those opposite of the important work of this government in reducing the cost of energy for our communities. Let's start with some facts. Australia's renewable energy transition accelerated in 2025, with a record number of projects given the green light. According to the Clean Energy Regulator, more than 19 gigawatts of variable renewable generation capacity has been installed across Australia since Labor returned to government, including 10 gigawatts of rooftop solar and 4.4 gigawatts of wind. This increase is enough to power more than six million households. Experts from across industry, business and the energy sector recognise the truth—that this government's work in rolling out renewable energy is making the difference we need to reduce power bills.

The Energy Market Operator's system plan stated that the government's plan for renewable energy 'firmed with storage, backed up by gas and connected with upgraded networks remains the least cost road map to meet Australia's energy needs'. The Energy Market Commission agrees, projecting a five per cent decrease in per unit prices over the next five years, and added that prices risk rising by 13 per cent from 2030 to 2035 unless renewable energy generation, battery and transmission projects are delivered. This is what our government is focused on.

The problem is clear, but so are the solutions, and this Labor government is getting on with the job. It is projects like the Padstow community battery in my electorate of Banks, which I opened with the minister just last week, that are making the key difference. They work by storing excess solar power generated during the day and distributing it to the network in the evening, when the demand is at its highest and generation is, unfortunately, most reliant on expensive, ageing coal facilities.

Eligible households in my electorate across Padstow, Padstow Heights, Riverwood, Punchbowl, Roselands and parts of Revesby and Revesby Heights will, because of these community batteries, be able to save more than $200 a year on their bills if they sign up to a plan that encompasses energy storage as a service. While the Padstow community batteries are at a larger scale, smaller solutions are also available, and 250,000 households nationwide have signed up to a cheaper home battery which, coupled with rooftop solar, can cut a household's bill dramatically and, by reducing usage during peak times, creates a more reliable grid and puts downward pressure on energy prices for every single family. In the electorate of Banks alone, 1,675 households have installed a battery already. This is the key difference between the approach of this government on energy policy and that of our predecessor, the former Liberal government, where the now leader of the opposition took the lead on energy.

This Labor government recognises that energy prices are a problem, and it's working hard to solve it. The Leader of the Opposition saw rising energy prices and did the opposite, and they worked hard to hide it. They changed the law to keep electricity prices a secret. They deliberately concealed cost blowouts on Snowy 2.0. They didn't spend a dollar of the $1 billion promised to add capacity to the grid, and they funded the VNI West project that the current shadow minister for energy and emissions reduction and other coalition MPs have gone to great lengths to oppose. This is quite the CV for the new leader of the opposition in the energy portfolio.

The coalition has now decided that they want to abandon net zero, and the verdict on their so-called plan is clear. Industry, business and experts all say the same thing: abandoning net zero will not spur investment, it won't enable growth in the economy, and it won't bring down power prices for households. When the Australian people look at each side of this House, the contrast could not be clearer. On this side, the Labor Albanese government side, we are serious, we recognise there are issues, and we are getting on with the job of addressing them. On the other side is an opposition that still denies climate change even exists.

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