Alison Penfold (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Does the—

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Alison Penfold (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Don't worry, it's coming!

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order, members on my right and members on my left! We're going to apply the same standards to everyone. The member for Lyne is entitled to ask her question to the minister. I'm going to ask her to begin again, and she's going to be heard in silence, just like everyone else.

Alison Penfold (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Does the minister think he's being clever by refusing to answer specific questions about the Albanese government's broken promise to reduce household energy bills by $275? Why won't the minister respect Australian families with an honest answer here?

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

The standing orders regarding questions are pretty clear, regarding standing order 100(d)(iv)—I just want to remind members. Both of those last questions are within that band of not being acceptable. I'm just going to make sure the House is following all the standing orders. When you're impugning those sorts of motives, we're getting into dangerous territory. We'll move forward. I'll allow the question, and the minister will continue.

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

As someone who holidayed in Taree as a kid, I'm happy to get the question from the honourable member for Lyne, because she represents a beautiful part of Australia. I'll give her that. It's a magnificent part of Australia. But I'd say this to the honourable member: every honourable member should be honest with the Australian people about their energy policies. Every honourable member should be honest about the impact of their energy policies on Australia. If you were inserting the most expensive form of energy known in the world—nuclear energy—you should be honest about the impact that would have on the people you purport to represent. I say this—

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

Order! The member for Barker, I'm trying to hear the member for Wannon, and you're making it very difficult to do so. I know you'd love to assist the House, so I'm going to hear from the member for Wannon on a point of order.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It goes to relevance. The question had nothing about the opposition in it. It was a very direct question talking about the $275. I'd ask you to draw the minister back to the question.

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

The Leader of the House?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just to the point of order and the audition that was just taken—can I say that, whenever a question is out of order, as you've indicated that was, when it's allowed to go ahead, there is always a very broad ruling that's given with respect to relevance.

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

Yes. It's not like a question we had earlier in the week, which was, 'Provide a figure; provide a number,' which I dealt with. When you're asking if the minister thinks he's being clever, with those sorts of questions—as I indicated to the House under standing order 100(d)(iv)—it's pretty difficult to say it's a tight question. It's not. I'm just going to make sure that, when he's asked about energy policy and about the reduction in energy bills, he has been directly relevant. If you ask that question, you're going to get this answer. I think that's pretty commonsense. The minister has the call.

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

I say to the members of the National Party: if you're going to ask the government about climate and energy policy, how about you be honest with the people you represent that climate change is real and that people in rural and regional Australia will pay the price for that climate change. And policies which delay action will see people in rural and regional Australia—farmers who've already seen their productivity fall because of climate change—pay the price. And future generations in regional Australia will pay the price. And people in rural and regional Australia have a lot to benefit from well calibrated policies to see jobs and investment. And the Morrison-Joyce government told the Australian people that net zero was good for people in regional Australia, and, since then, they have walked away from the people of rural and regional Australia and are betraying them by their actions.

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

The member for Gippsland has had a really good go, so he's now on a warning too. We've got the member for Fisher, the member for Wright and the member for Gippsland.

Yes, member for Wright. You're in that mix. I'm just reminding the House where everyone sits.