Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Hansard source

The jet-setting part-time Minister for Climate Change and Energy came into this House on 14 May, blustering that my electorate of Mallee had 1,466 batteries—six times that of Melbourne. On the data I can obtain—because the minister likes to play secret squirrels on this stuff, including batteries and fuel, and keeps the data to himself—Mallee actually ranks 33rd out of 38 Victorian electorates for battery installations and Melbourne is 38th, at the bottom. Not only are Mallee residents unable to afford a battery; their taxes are helping people in the leafy green suburbs of Melbourne install theirs. The minister claimed Mallee had installations six times that of Melbourne. He's actually referring to the electorate of Melbourne, which is full of high-rise apartments and rentals—households with little to no ability to install solar or batteries. The minister is comparing apples with cucumbers.

Yet again, Labor's energy policies do not deliver energy bills savings for regional Australians. Rather, they deliver pain. Australians have worked out this part-time minister for energy for the snake oil salesman that he is, and I say to him—through you, Deputy Speaker Claydon: keep it coming.

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