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

I thank the member for Kooyong for bringing up this important matter. It gives me the opportunity to talk about one of my favourite topics: how the Albanese Labor government is simultaneously helping ease cost-of-living pressures whilst also supporting Australia's energy transition.

The people in my community and right across Australia are feeling the pinch of the cost of living. One of the most important ways that we can help households right now is bringing in measures that lower their power bills. In Australia we are blessed with the best sun and the best wind in the world—I might add, the best beaches too—and now we're putting them to work to bring down the energy bills. More than one in three homes in the country have solar panels installed, one of the highest rates on the planet. Australia is leading the world in rooftop solar and Queensland leads Australia with one in two households with solar. That means Queensland families are not just part of the clean energy transition; they are driving it. Go Queensland!

Households are generating their own power, lowering their electricity bills and contributing to a stronger, more resilient energy grid. Programs like the Cheaper Home Batteries Program are helping families store the solar power they generate during the day and use it when they need it most, further reducing bills and strengthening Australia's energy system. Across Australia more families and small businesses are taking up these opportunities.

One of the very first batteries installed and turned on under this program was right in my electorate of Petrie. I had the pleasure of visiting Rob's home in Bridgeman Downs alongside Minister Bowen to see his battery system in action. For Rob, batteries mean lower power bills and making the most of the solar energy his home already uses and produces. Since the program began in my electorate of Petrie, 1,571 households and local businesses have already taken up the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. Northlakes and Mango Hill lead with 365 batteries installed. Redcliffe and Scarborough in Newport now have 236 installations, and Deception Bay has 144. Suburbs like Clontarf, Margate and Woody Point are also seeing a strong uptake in installations.

These numbers tell an important story. The clean energy transition isn't coming from the cities; it's being led by the families in the suburbs and the communities across Australia who want lower power bills and a secure energy future. We are already seeing the results of this transition. In the last quarter of 2025, Australia reached a historic milestone. For the first time ever, more than half of our electricity came from renewable energy. That shows that clean energy transformation is not just a future ambition; it is happening right now. The summer we just had was a scorcher and, with renewable renewables providing energy to the grid, we have not faced significant issues with reliability or supply. This is despite the naysayers, who think that renewables are less reliable than fossil fuels. The Albanese Labor government has proven that renewables are vital and effective at meeting our energy needs.

Households and communities and businesses are generating more of their own power, strengthening our energy system and helping drive down emissions. And that is not all. The Albanese government is introducing a new regulated electricity market offer, which includes a free three-hour power period during the day, every day. That's three hours of free electricity every single day. We are living in turbulent times, but here in Australia we are responding from a position of strength. Australians have seen the headlines about global fuel disruptions and uncertainty in international markets. It is understandable that people feel concerned, but Australians can be assured our nation is fuel secure. I repeat that to those opposite: our nation's fuel is secure.

Australia is currently above the minimum domestic fuel stockholding obligations and, crucially, those reserves are now stored here in Australia. That wasn't always the case. When the coalition was in government, fuel reserves were stored overseas. This government ensured that the fuel reserves are kept onshore when Australians need them. In times of global uncertainty, that matters. We are seeing disruptions in some areas caused by temporary spikes in demand, not a national supply issue. I want to be clear: Australia continues to meet its fuel stockholding obligations and our fuel reserves are secure. That means Australians can have confidence that the petrol they rely on every day remains available and secure. That is the approach of the Albanese Labor government.

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