Basem Abdo (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. How does this week's budget strengthen Australia's fuel security and protect families from global energy shocks? What policies would leave Australians more exposed?

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

I thank the honourable member for his question, and for the work he does in representing the people of suburban Melbourne in this House and doing it so well. Of course, this budget builds Australia's sovereignty, when it comes to energy, by building a sovereign fuel stock, held by the Australian government on behalf of the people, but also by giving Australians support for the choices they want to make to diversify their choice of energy and to make sure they are secured and protected from energy shocks in the future, because Australian households are doing that in great numbers. They know that, if they change their choices, they can protect themselves against shocks in the future.

That's why so many Australians are buying electric vehicles. When we came to office, an Australian bought an electric vehicle once every 50 minutes; now it's once every three minutes.

Australians are also doing that in their homes when they're taking up batteries. And I'm very pleased that the budget delivered by the Treasurer on Tuesday night continued and locked in that support for Australian households to make the choices they want. I'm pleased to give the House a little update and tell the House that, as of today, 398,123 households have installed a cheaper home battery. I confess I was hoping to hit 400,000 today, but that'll be tomorrow—just a little forward sizzle: 400,000 houses, tomorrow, will have installed a battery.

Now, we know there's another thing which all these policies have in common. A sovereign domestic stockholding, owned by the people; support for electric vehicles; support for cheaper home batteries—all were opposed by those opposite. And we'll hear some of that tonight. I hope the Leader of the Opposition has the courage to tell Australians what he'll do with the cheaper home batteries policy, for example. He has said it should be paused. His shadow minister has said it should be frozen. And Senator Hume has said it should be means-tested. So let's see what they actually do.

The member for Mallee said, recently, it should be reined in, and said: 'There has been a very low take-up of the home battery scheme in Mallee, while wealthy households in leafy suburbs in Sydney and Melbourne enjoy lower power bills thanks to Albanese Labor government subsidies.' In fact, Mallee has seen take-up of 1,466 home batteries, which is six times Melbourne, because this is take-up in the outer suburbs and regions of Australia. With the member for Mallee being so in command of maths, I reckon she's a real hot candidate for shadow treasurer, because that sort of maths is what this shadow treasurer brings to the table.

But this lack of understanding of regional Australia is what all of those opposite share. They don't understand that people in regional Australia want to embrace these opportunities, like the people of Mallee with the cheaper home battery policy. Well, this government will back the people of Mallee and the people of Riverina and all the people who want to take cheaper home batteries while those opposite betray regional Australia and don't stand up for their rights to make the choices they want to make.