Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Ross and Cynthia are age pensioners who live in South West Rocks in my electorate. This week they were told by their provider their new power bill is about to skyrocket by more than 40 per cent to $474 per quarter. The Prime Minister promised Australians like Ross and Cynthia that he would cut their power bills by $275. Why has the Prime Minister misled the Australian people, and isn't this yet another broken promise by this tricky Prime Minister?

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

I thank the member for his question, and I do hope the member told Ross and Cynthia that he voted against $1½ billion of energy price relief. I hope he did.

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

The member for Groom will stop yelling. The member for Groom will cease interjecting.

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

That was the plan that went through every state and territory leader, Labor and Liberal. It's true there are no Nats there, so we don't know where the Nats would've stood. But every state Liberal leader, including the Premier of New South Wales, voted for this plan, and indeed responsible oppositions, such as the New South Wales opposition, voted for the plan as well. And you know what has happened as a result of our announcing the plan? Wholesale prices have halved as a result. This is what Philip Lowe, the RBA Governor, had to say just last week:

This episode of high inflation has its origins mainly in developments on the supply side—

something that the minister for industry was just talking about—

but, over time, demand-side factors have become more prominent. It emerged in the wake of the COVID supply chain disruptions and Russia's invasion of Ukraine …

That is what the Reserve Bank Governor said last Friday. Now, we are dealing with that in a practical way. We brought forward legislation and, indeed, brought the parliament back here last December for extraordinary action due to the extraordinary circumstances which were there.

Opposition members interjecting—

You didn't. You voted against $1½ billion of assistance, and I hope you've told your constituents that.

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! There is far too much noise on my left.