Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. Minister, you've written to the ACCC and the AER about retailer conduct on fixed charges. From today, households are promised three hours of so-called free power from 11 am to 2 pm, when most Fowler families are at work and, outside that window, still paying fixed charges and full price. Can the minister guarantee that this isn't a 'give with one hand and take with the other' scheme and that no household energy bill will go up?

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

I thank the honourable member for the question. I can confirm for the honourable member that there is nothing 'so called' about free power when it's a requirement of law for the energy companies to provide it as an option to people in the relevant jurisdictions, including the constituents of Fowler. We've been very clear that solar sharer is not for everyone, but for those people who can move power to the middle of the day—whether they be people who work from home, who this side of the House support, or people who can use their smart devices to schedule their devices to be used in the middle of the day—it is a very good option for them. That is why we are requiring energy companies to deliver it. We say to energy companies that it is a requirement of law for it be delivered from today.

The other elements that we are delivering include the default market offer, which has seen people in the Endeavour Energy network, which covers the people of Fowler, receive a 3.4 per cent reduction this year. The other thing we are delivering is cheaper home batteries, which 2,720 households in Fowler have taken up. They are also reducing their bills very dramatically. That is a rate in Fowler which is substantially higher than in other electorates. The member for Fowler has previously claimed that this is a policy for inner city electorates. That is just not true, because the people of Fowler are taking up cheap home batteries at a much faster rate than electorates that have higher wealth than the people of Fowler. That's because the people of Fowler want to reduce their bills, and they know that cheaper home batteries are a very good option to do so. That's why this government has been delivering it. I'm disappointed the member for Fowler doesn't support that policy.