Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Leyonhjelm for his question. In relation to the preamble in which Senator Leyonhjelm acknowledged the concerns of the Australian people being focused in relation to issues such as how their electricity prices can be reduced and where jobs can be created, I concur entirely, Senator Leyonhjelm, that they are the priorities the Australian people rightly expect us all to focus on. They are the priorities the Turnbull government is resolutely focused upon.

In relation to installation of solar panels, Senator Leyonhjelm is correct in that Australia has one of the largest, if not the largest, installation rates of solar panels in the world, with one in five Australian households now having solar panels on their rooftops—more than 2½ million Australian households. As senators would be well aware, in our time in office the coalition did make changes to the Renewable Energy Target, and in doing so sought to ensure that the 2020 target in place was better aligned to what was achievable, and so had a lesser impact in terms of household costs. But we are determined to go further in terms of household costs. As I've outlined to the Senate on a number of occasions now, our pursuit of lower prices is focused on comprehensive action in terms of reform of policies relating to emissions reduction and on ensuring the reliability so that they work in a better way in future to: drive towards the lowest price point aligned with our work; rein in the cost of networks around gaming of the system; get more gas into the domestic market; get a better deal via retailers; and, ultimately, deliver the National Energy Guarantee, which is estimated to have a reduction in average household power bills of around $400 per annum compared to what they would otherwise be.