David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the government's budget decision to cut supply development funding to the Cooper and Adavale basins. By how many gigajoules will this reduce domestic gas supply, and will this increase domestic gas prices further beyond the 40 per cent increase locked in in the budget?

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order. Members on my left will cease interjecting.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank very much the Leader of the National Party for his question, and I will make some comments and then refer to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. The fact is that, earlier on, what we had was a position put that somehow prices for energy went down during the former government's reign. That's what they said. I was actually able to get the 2019 policy of those opposite that they took to the election, and it said: 'A re-elected Morrison government will be targeting a 25 per cent reduction in the average wholesale electricity price by the end of 2021 with new supply through our underwriting new generation initiative.' That's what they said. That was the commitment that they made. And the member opposite, who's been given responsibility for this area, interjected saying that indeed prices went down.

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

The Prime Minister will pause 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

Well, Mr Speaker, previously you've said that a minister or a Prime Minister can have a preamble. He's had his preamble, on something that's not relevant to the question, which was quite specific—

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

Resume your seat. I just remind the manager that, if he's rising on a point of order, as I said about 5½ minutes ago, you must state the point of order, not just start rambling. Can I give the call to the Prime Minister—

Honourable members interjecting—

Order! I give the call to the Prime Minister, who was answering the question.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, at May 2019, the average wholesale price was $84.25. In May 2022, it was $286.18, so an increase—higher—of $201.93. So, instead of their commitment that they went to the election on, during the last term, of a 25 per cent reduction, it was a 240 per cent increase on their watch.

When you go into the detail about supply, you get to: 'underwriting investment in new reliable power generation and improved competition, including Battery of the Nation'. Well, Battery of the Nation was signed off last week by me and the energy minister. They had a policy that they said would decrease it by 25 per cent; it went up by 240 per cent—

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

The Prime Minister will return to the question.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and then they said it would be driven by projects that they didn't deliver, that we are delivering in partnership with the Tasmanian Liberal government.

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

I invite the Minister for Climate Change and Energy—

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

I'd better be quick, Mr Speaker, because the Prime Minister did such a comprehensive job! We are reprioritising the wasteful spending of those opposite, including the alleged, fraudulent, gas-led recovery that the member for Hume claimed existed. And we have abolished his UNGI program because it didn't deliver a megawatt, a gigawatt, a kilowatt or a watt and left the Australian people are saying: 'What was that about?'

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

Order. Members on my right will cease interjecting so I can hear the member for Jagajaga.