Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. How is the Albanese Labor government focused on delivering the benefits of renewable energy to Australian families? Why is focusing on the needs of Australians so important, and what are the risks to affordable and reliable energy?

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

I thank the member for Bennelong for his question. The Albanese government is focused on delivering for the Australian people not only through the 111,385 batteries that have been installed since 1 July but also through the Solar Sharer program, announced yesterday, which will give Australians the chance to get free power in the middle of the day. Given how assiduous the member for Bennelong is and what a fantastic local member he is, I'm sure he saw the letter in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning from John from Bennelong, who wrote:

Congratulations to the federal government for introducing three hours of free electricity. My household receives free power for two hours … from our provider. We charge our car, do our washing and charge household batteries during this time. As a result, our power bills have been slashed.

John from Bennelong gets it, Jerome from Bennelong gets it too, and members on this side of the House get it, but those members opposite don't get it. Of course, around 14 to 15 per cent of this country work shift work—people who are at home at odd hours and who might have the opportunity to use their power in the middle of the day and do so for free. There are also the 36 per cent of Australians who work from home, who have the support of this side of the House in that choice. They will be able to shift their power use to the middle of the day and get it for free. In addition to the big reductions in energy bills for those 111,000 Australian households who now have a cheaper home battery, this is what delivery looks like. We're able to do these things because we're not distracted, we're not divided and we're not fighting ourselves. That's why we're able to deliver these things.

The member asked me why focusing on the needs of Australians is so important. It's important because it's all about delivery, something the other side wouldn't understand. Remember, our friend the Leader of the National Party was asked how he would respond to Barnaby Joyce, the member for New England, leaving the National Party and he said, 'Well, we'll be focused on ourselves. You know, the reality is we'll focus on ourselves.' Well, I've got to say—I'll give credit where it's due—promise made, promise kept. They focus on themselves, just true to their word. We've had the Liberal Party say of the National Party:

They are terrorists—

and—

The first rule of being a parasite is not to kill your host.

It's all going swimmingly over there, which resulted in the shadow minister for climate change, on 7.30 last night, not being able to rule out the Liberal Party, the once-great Liberal Party, supporting the construction of coal-fired power stations in Australia. The party of Harold Holt is now the party of Andrew Bolt. That's how the National Party's calling the shots over there. It's all a reminder that, as the great Bob Hawke told Australia:

… if you can't govern yourselves, you can't govern the country.

That was true then and it's true now. What we're seeing of those opposite is a group of parties who clearly cannot govern themselves and certainly cannot govern the country.