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

I thank the honourable member for her question and the very powerful way she represents the constituents from her beautiful part of the world in this House. In the face of the largest energy crisis the world has ever seen, it's important that Australians know their government has got their back through this crisis. The announcement made that we will extend the fuel excise relief for another month shows Australians that we understand that this international crisis has a long tail and will have impacts for some time. We will continue to provide the support as necessary, as has been outlined by the Prime Minister and the Treasurer. That's real and valuable relief as Australians go to the bowser each and every day.

But also, when it comes to energy bills, we continue to supply support, and one of the ways we do that is through the cheaper home batteries policy, one I know the House likes to get updates on. I'm pleased to tell the House that, as of today, 448,342 Australian households have taken up an Albanese government cheaper home battery. As we've said before, this is particularly the case in the outer suburbs of Australia. I can update the House: there are now four electorates where, less than a year into this program—this program turns a year old in one week's time—more than 10 per cent of their households have a cheaper home battery.

There's the electorate of Greenway; the Attorney-General is very proud of that. The electorate of Mitchell is another one. I'm not sure how the member for Mitchell feels about that, but, given his margin is 3.8 per cent and there's 10 per cent of households with a battery, there's a bit of a conflict for him. The member for Mayo is in a similar boat, with more than 10 per cent. Also, there's the electorate of Wright. More than 10 per cent of the households in the electorate of Wright have a cheaper home battery—which, as it happens, is also more than his margin, of 7.9 per cent. But I've got better news for the member for Wright. Based on current trends, his is about to take over the member for Mayo's as the most popular electorate for cheaper home batteries in Australia. For a Queenslander, that's a great result. Queenslanders are taking up cheaper home batteries, not only reducing their bills each and every day but also reducing the bills for everyone.

The other thing we're doing is supporting Australians with their choices to buy electric vehicles, if they choose to, through the new vehicle efficiency standard and the electric vehicle tax cut. What brings all these policies together? It is that cheaper home batteries, the new vehicle efficiency standard and the electric vehicle tax cut would all be abolished by the opposition. They stand against them all. When they have a chance to stand with Australians and the choices they choose to make to reduce their energy use, to reduce their bills and to reduce their emissions, we stand with them in those choices. We support the choices they make in the electorates of Mitchell and Wright and electorates right across Australia, and those opposite just don't get it. They would stop that support for Australians cold stone dead. They would take that support away, but we will continue to provide that support. We'll continue to support Australians in the choices they make.

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