Terry Young (Longman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. RGS, a proudly Australian owned and operated manufacturer in my electorate, had a power bill under the coalition of around $39,000 last year. This year, their power bill under Labor will spike to around $73,000, an increase of $43,000—just one of the many cost increases seen by businesses in Longman this year. When will the government deliver on its promise to cut power bills?

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

I'm sure that the figures provided by the honourable member are correct, because they reflect the DMO, the default market offer, which was promulgated in May but hidden by the previous government and which outlined an energy price increase, on average for a Queensland small business, of $705 or 12.8 per cent That's what the previous government knew about and wilfully misled Queensland businesses—small, medium and large—about in a matter of fundamental, direct and deliberate dishonesty. I welcome the fact that honourable members opposite are now somehow interested in energy prices. They weren't very interested when they were changing the law to hide the increase in energy prices for Queensland businesses. Queensland businesses will benefit from our policies to introduce renewable energy and introduce to transmission—which now apparently the opposition is opposed to—the Integrated System Plan—

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

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting.

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

which we are getting on with and delivering to reduce power prices for businesses in Queensland and around Australia.