Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Acting Prime Minister. Due to record energy prices, businesses in my electorate of Mallee are considering closing, potentially leaving hundreds unemployed. One such business, a brick manufacturer in Stawell, announced it was closing after 80 years in business. When will businesses in my electorate receive the promised $275 energy bill relief?

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. We certainly acknowledge the pressure associated with increases of prices that is being placed on household budgets and, in this case, businesses. As I said earlier, our core business, the No. 1 priority for the government, is about easing the cost of living. And that also goes to the question of reducing energy prices. One of the real differences now compared to when I first entered parliament in 2007 is that cheap energy in this country is renewable energy and that the way in which we get energy prices down is improving our energy grid and having policy certainty which allows people to invest in renewable energy and have that renewable energy be able to be received by the grid. But the problem is that we've had a lost decade when it comes to energy policy. Those opposite had 22 different energy policies. They failed to have a situation where there was policy certainty and that's why we have not seen the investment in renewable energy that we should have seen. On this side of the House, we have done more in the last 15 weeks of this government than those opposite did in the last 10 years. Their inaction on energy has been absolutely shameful, but the height of that shame was what we saw from the shadow Treasurer, the former Minister for Energy, when he sought to change the law in order to mean that he did not have to tell the Australian people—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Acting Prime Minister will take a break, and I will hear from the Manager of Opposition Business.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, we have a precedent on the question of relevance that was established by Speaker Jenkins on the importance of ministers having to be directly relevant. I think it would assist the House if this convention were upheld, and I ask you to ask the Acting Prime Minister to bring his answer back to being directly relevant to a very specific question.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Acting Prime Minister is in order, and I give him the call now.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The height of the shame of the former government was when the former energy minister sought to change the law so that he didn't have to tell the Australian people about an increase in the default retail price for electricity before the election. Can you imagine a more venal or a more pathetic conversation than that which the former minister must have had with his department when he sought advice about what he needed to do in order to make sure that he didn't have to tell the Australian people about his failure and the failure of his government? The shame in that is the very reason that we now have the energy issues that we face. But what you've got on this side of the parliament is a government—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Acting Prime Minister will pause. Deputy Leader of the Opposition, a point of order on relevance has already been made. I give you the call.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table a document: Labor's Powering Australia document, which refers to the $275 energy price cuts.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The deputy leader will resume her seat. It's not the time to do that. If you wish to table a document, wait until the Acting Prime Minister has concluded his answer. I give the—

Honourable member s interjecting—

When the House comes to order—I call the Acting Prime Minister.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In contrast to the complete ineptitude of those opposite, what we now have is a government which is actually going to have settled policy on energy, which will see a reduction in energy prices.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the deputy leader seeking to table a document?

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Mr Speaker, Labor's Powering Australia document which explains—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Wait just a moment, Deputy Leader. I give the call to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table a document, Mr Speaker.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Deputy Leader, I don't know what the document is, and the government doesn't know what the document is simply by your holding it up. Are you seeking to table a document? If so, can you explain to the House what the document is?

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The document is the Powering Australia policy—Labor's plan to cut power bills by $275, explained at least 15 times in this document.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We're not going to grant leave to table the internet—not the internet.