Nick Xenophon (SA, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Birmingham, representing the Minister for the Environment and Energy. Adelaide business Plastics Granulating Services closed its doors in June after its annual electricity bill rose from $80,000 to $180,000, with the loss of 35 jobs—just one example of many. The CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, James Pearson, this week said that 'urgent action' was 'needed to prevent job losses and business closures' because 'many Australian businesses and consumers cannot withstand the burden' of high electricity prices.

Given that the government's National Energy Guarantee plan, if properly implemented, will take at least two to three years to deliver benefits, what immediate measures will the government implement to assist businesses and consumers in order to prevent many tens of thousands of jobs being lost in the meantime?