Leon Rebello (McPherson, Liberal National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Australians need look no further than their power bills to determine the effects of bad government policy on the ordinary lives of Australians. We are quite frustrated on this side, but we're not frustrated just because we're the opposition; we're frustrated because we're channelling the frustrations of those that we represent around the country. What does that look like? It looks like families who are struggling to afford their own energy costs. It looks like older Australians who—I represent parts of Queensland, and people are not prepared to turn on their air conditioning in summer, and I don't want to have to go through that again for people in my electorate. It looks like small businesses who are having to decide where they're going to cut in their day or in their staff because of the increased costs. And it looks like goods and services across this country getting more and more expensive due to the rising costs of energy.

Prior to the election of this government, Australians were promised a $275 cut to their power bills, and that promise extended to a $378 cut by 2030. But where have we got to? We've got to a situation where Australians are paying up to $1,300 more. We saw electricity costs rise by 21.5 per cent in the 12 months to December 2025. So, instead of those promises coming to fruition, we're seeing Australians having to deal with the opposite. There are 230,000 households in Australia at the moment in energy distress, up nearly 70 per cent in just 3½ years. That's the highest level of hardship on record. It's disheartening when I speak to those opposite and when we hear the contributions that they make and they're saying, 'These are all the things that we're doing as a government in this space,' and they're failing to recognise that it's not actually trickling down to Australians—to individuals, to businesses and to families.

I say to Australians, though, that there is an alternative The coalition has recently come out with our plan. Australia should be an energy superpower. There is no reason why we as a country should have our citizens dealing with the high cost of energy that they're dealing with today, and Australians deserve and need a government that's prepared to harness everything—every opportunity that we have as a country. We're blessed with so much of that, which is why, in contrast to what we're seeing under Labor, a Taylor coalition government will deliver cheaper power and an abundance of energy. We will do that through backing any technology that can deliver that affordable and reliable energy for Australian households and businesses. We will do that through working with coal-fired power plant operators to make sure that that generation is running as long and as hard as it can to get electricity prices down. We will do that through lifting the ban on nuclear power and through scrapping Labor's carbon taxes, including the safeguard mechanism—which in essence has turned into a carbon tax on business that's driving industry offshore—and Labor's other taxes on cars and utes, for example. We will do that with an ultimate aim of lowering emissions as quickly and responsibly as technology allows without imposing those additional costs on families or industries, especially at a time when we know that they just cannot absorb those costs. That is the alternative.

This government came to power promising cheaper energy, and it was a defining election promise for it—a $275 reduction that Australians never saw and a $378 reduction by 2030 that they still will not see. Instead, Australians have received the opposite: higher bills, greater uncertainty and a fragile grid that's underpinned by ideology, not economics. I speak on behalf of thousands and millions of Australians who say to this government that it is time for the government to come clean, to stop the spin and to deliver real, affordable and reliable energy, not just more of the broken promises that we've seen.

Madonna Jarrett (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm really pleased to speak to this motion, because energy policy does matter and it's a big difference on this side of the House compared to the other. It matters because ultimately it comes down to something very simple: Australians pay every time they turn on the light, boil the kettle or charge their car. Families are already dealing with cost of living—groceries, housing and other everyday expenses. So energy bills matter. We get it.

Our government's approach has been to tackle this challenge on two fronts: to provide immediate cost-of-living relief while investing in cheaper, safer and more reliable energy systems for the future. That distinction is important. If we want lasting reductions in energy costs, Australians need to increase the supply of affordable electricity, and that means reducing our exposure to expensive fossil fuel generation.

So what's Labor doing? Well, under the Energy Bill Relief Fund, Australian households and eligible small businesses received up to $150 in electricity rebates delivered through two $75 credits on electricity bills, and that followed earlier rounds of energy bill relief. These rebates matter because they provide immediate assistance while longer term investments in Australia's electricity system are being built.

But Labor's energy policy isn't just about rebates. One of the biggest opportunities we have in Australia is in renewable energy. Australia has extraordinary solar and wind resources and, once renewable projects are constructed, coal and gas become far less relevant. Labor's objective is to increase renewable energy while ensuring we have the storage and infrastructure necessary to keep electricity reliable.

Through the Capacity Investment Scheme, we are supporting investment in renewable generation and dispatchable storage. Why does that matter to consumers? Because increasing supply of low-cost electricity, backed by batteries and other storage, puts downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices and reduces reliance on expensive fossil-fuel generation, especially during times of high demand.

That's why Labor is helping households produce and store more of their own renewable energy. Our Cheaper Home Batteries Program began last year, providing around a 30 per cent discount on the upfront costs of eligible batteries connected to rooftop solar. We know that there are millions of solar rooftops in Australia. The challenge, though, is that the solar produces enormous amounts of energy during the day, while households often consume large amounts of electricity in the evening. Batteries change that equation. With batteries, instead of exporting solar electricity during the middle of the day and then buying it back from the grid at night, households with a battery can now store more of their own electricity and use it later. It's estimated that eligible households could save around $4,000 on the upfront cost of an 11.5-kilowatt-hour battery. Australians have responded. I'm sure we've heard the minister—within the first six months of the program, more than 160,000 batteries were installed. Now, we see an uptake of approximately half a million, and the current program could help more than two million Australians install batteries by 2030.

Labor is also helping people make their homes more energy efficient. The $1 billion Household Energy Upgrades Fund supports discounted finance for improvements, including solar batteries, insulation, double glazing and efficient electric appliances. By April 2026, the program had helped finance more than 10,000 energy upgrades across 4,100 Australian homes.

The energy transition is not just about emissions targets. It is about household economics. It is about helping families use the electricity generated on their own roofs. It is about building enough renewable energy generation and storage so Australia has a reliable electricity system as ageing coal-fired power stations retire.

Retail electricity prices are affected by a lot of issues, but what governments can influence are the fundamentals. We can increase supply of renewable energy, we can encourage competition and investment, we can build storage, we can help households improve efficiency and we can make technologies like batteries more affordable. We heard from the member for McPherson about their new plan, allowing for nuclear energy—which we don't need when we have renewables—and running coal as hard as they can. That's in stark contrast to us.

Some of the best renewable energy resources in the world are here in Australia. Labor's goal is to make sure Australians don't just help produce that energy but share in the economic benefits of it. (Time expired)

Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the motion moved by the member for Wannon. I support this motion because energy affordability affects every Australian. Whether they are a small-business owner, a parent or a pensioner, they are feeling the pinch of rising energy costs every day.

At the 2022 election, Labor promised lower power bills. He may not have said it 50 times, but the Prime Minister sure did say a lot, through that campaign, that power bills would go down by $275. There has not been a reduction in power bills—another broken promise by the Labor government. The reality is that electricity costs continue to rise, and households across regional Western Australia continue to pay higher prices. This motion notes that a record number of Australians are carrying energy debts, with many facing further increases in their power bills. The motion also notes that Australians were promised lower power prices and instead are paying more.

Despite the lecturing we get from those opposite regarding the cost-of-living support that the Labor government is providing, regional Western Australians are still dealing with the rising costs of groceries, insurance and fuel. Sadly, higher energy prices are adding another layer of financial stress to everyday Australians. In regional Western Australia, higher energy costs don't just affect the household budgets. They affect industry. From agriculture and mining to manufacturing and transport, affordable energy underpins our economic activity. When energy prices increase, those costs flow through to our families.

It is this government's failed energy policy that has caused electricity costs to rise by some 21.5 per cent in the 12 months to December 2025. Who doesn't love a rebate in their electricity bill? Well, I do. I'm sure everyone in this House appreciates that. But temporary relief does not reduce the underlying cost of electricity.

Good energy policy should deliver three things: affordability, reliability and sustainability. These three things are the basis of the coalition's energy policy. We believe that Australia should pursue a balanced energy mix that makes use of all available resources and technologies rather than placing all our energy security in the hands of one resource.

By scrapping net zero, this can be achieved. We all know that a policy of net zero costs everyday Australians and everyday taxpayers billions of dollars as the Labor Party continues to subsidise renewable energy. And, despite all of this investment by the Albanese Labor government, energy prices continue to rise, and Australians pay the price.

We of course support investment in renewable energy—of course we do—but we must also recognise the importance of gas, coal and nuclear in providing reliable and affordable energy. The coalition will lift the ban on nuclear and supports it as part of Australia's long-term future. Nuclear energy provides reliable 24-hour zero-emissions power and is already used successfully in many of the world's most advanced economies.

We will end Labor's carbon taxes, including the safeguard mechanism and Labor's car and ute tax as well. Labor are focused on their net zero obsession; we will not be focused on that. The coalition is committed to making Australia the energy superpower it once was, using our natural resources, investing in technology and scrapping net zero.

Western Australians understand the value of practical energy policy. They're a practical mob, especially in regional Western Australia. For decades, our domestic gas reservation policy has helped support energy security, local industry and affordable power. It shows how valuable our natural resources are to our energy systems.

We are one of the most energy-rich nations in the world. You have to ask yourself why, then, do Australian families feel poorer under the Albanese government? Under Labor, energy prices have skyrocketed, while emissions have gone up. This is a failure of government. A coalition government will deliver lower energy prices, support industry, strengthen regional communities and ensure our energy system remains reliable for future generations. (Time expired)

Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Energy security is a critical part of every economy. It's an issue of national security and of food security. Without energy security, health services are compromised, our defence forces cannot perform optimally—putting the safety of personnel at risk—and everyday Australians cannot do the work and leisure activities they take for granted. Energy security is about availability. It's about having enough energy sources like solar, wind, gas and hydro to meet everyday and peak demand. Energy security is about reliability—or the grid's capability to recover quickly from unexpected faults, extreme weather or equipment failure. And, balanced with reliability and availability, energy security is about affordability. It's about keeping prices fair and as stable as possible so that households and businesses can access reliable energy at a price that does not cause hardship. The Albanese Labor government understands this, and, although it has acted to address energy costs, we know that there is more to do.

Power bill relief and gas price caps have played a role in this, as have the solar sharer scheme and the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. Over 500,000 Australians have taken advantage of this program in the past 12 months, and, in my electorate of Sturt, people write to me telling me that, thanks to this program, they no longer receive a bill. This is a good thing and we need more of it.

The Cheaper Home Battery Scheme is part of the industrial-scale transition from ageing coal-fired power plants to clean, renewable energy, firmed up, for now, by gas. We know that substantial investment is needed, and we know that this investment will create new social and economic opportunities in all sectors and regions, but it will need to be sustained over the long-term because the transition to renewable energy will not happen overnight. We need to be patient. We can't just say, 'Prices are too high, so the transition has failed.' We need to take risks, and we need to recognise that these risks are not only about what could go wrong, but about what could go right. We need to continue investing, researching, exploring and walking together when risks don't always crystallise immediately, especially when Treasury modelling shows that wholesale electricity costs will be lower than the long-term average under the transition to renewable energy.

Although patience is required, that doesn't necessarily help households now seeking to meet cost-of-living challenges, including energy costs. So, as well as providing energy bill relief and opportunities like community and home batteries, this government has implemented structural changes to the energy market to make the market fairer for consumers.

The Australian Energy Market Commission has implemented new rules that will prohibit energy retailers from increasing prices more than once a year. The rules will also prevent customers from being charged more than the standing offer price if their initial low-cost entry offer changes or expires. In addition, excessive retailer charges like late payment fees for retail contracts will be banned, and more opportunities will be provided to help people shop around, so that low-income families and other vulnerable Australians are receiving the best possible deal, together with proper, meaningful assistance in times of hardship.

This government also commissioned the Nelson review, which reported in December 2025, to examine a number of matters relevant to the National Electricity Market, including what the best future market settings are to promote investment in firmed renewable generation and storage capacity within the National Electricity Market, and how best to support the development and staged implementation of reforms to the National Electricity Market wholesale market that support the achievement of the National Electricity Objectives. These are to promote efficient investment in—and efficient operation and use of—electricity services for the long-term interests of consumers of electricity with respect to many issues, including price, quality, safety, reliability and security of supply.

So we are acting, with short-term relief for Australians and Australian businesses when it is needed; medium-term structural change with respect to the wholesale markets, retail markets and the national electricity market; and a long-term achievable transition to clean, renewable energy—which, in my electorate of Sturt, is what many people in the community are asking for. (Time expired)

Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister Assisting for Fisheries and Forestry) | Link to this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government came to power promising cheaper power. I'd argue it was an election-defining promise. The Prime Minister uttered it no less than 96 times—you'll recall a $275 reduction, that Australians ended up never seeing, and a $378 reduction that, by 2030, they will absolutely never see. Now, the Prime Minister saying one thing before an election and doing another thing after an election is a practice he's obviously maintained in the subsequent election, telling Australians he wouldn't seek to change property taxes—on this occasion, 50 times—but he did all the same. Instead, in terms of power prices, Australians didn't get cheaper electricity; they got higher bills, greater uncertainty and a fragile grid underpinned by ideology and not economics.

It's time for those opposite to come clean, stop the spin and deliver real, affordable, reliable energy, not more broken promises. That's what our plan does, by backing in abundant, affordable, sustainable energy generation that spans the gamut from nuclear power, coal and gas to renewables, rather than this renewables-only madness that has created an experiment that's failing in South Australia, my home state.

Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. In accordance with the resolution of 12 August, it being 1.30 pm the debate is interrupted and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 13:30