Sean Bell (NSW, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Minister Ayres. Electricity bills have soared 23.6 per cent over the past year, with an 8.1 per cent rise last quarter and another nine per cent rise this quarter. These price hikes are now spiking inflation and crushing Australian families already desperate for relief. The only thing keeping power bills from going even higher has been temporary rebates, and those are running out, and so is the government's supply of taxpayer dollars. One Nation warned this would happen. We warned your reckless net zero plan would hurt households and businesses. Why does this government continue to mislead the Australian people by claiming its so-called net zero energy transition is working when it's clearly only working to send power bills and the cost of living through the roof?

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will indicate for the new senator that we won't take his contribution as his first speech. The task that we're embarking upon, which we were working through in our first term and which is being led by the minister who I represent in this place, is to modernise and build an electricity system and an energy system that can serve the interests of Australian industry and Australian households. It occurs against the backdrop of—

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just not heavy industry.

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And it includes our ambitions for heavy industry as well, Senator McKenzie, which was left in a parlous state after the miserable decade of industrial policy negligence of the Abbott and Morrison and Turnbull governments.

The truth is that the failure of that period was recognised, including by people among those opposite. Senator Canavan, on 4 February 2021, said:

Electricity prices for manufacturing businesses in Australia have gone up 91 per cent over the past decade.

That's what he said in 2021. The Abbott and Morrison and Turnbull governments allowed electricity prices for manufacturing to almost double. That's what happened. That's what happens when you allow 24 out of 28 coal-fired power stations to close down, Senator Canavan, and don't have a plan to do anything about it except send out a press release about a coal-fired power station in Collinsville that you never built. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bell, please ask your question.

Sean Bell (NSW, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, speaking of your first term, I believe your government promised they would cut power bills by $275, by 2022 figures. Yet Australian families are watching as net zero policies drive power bills higher and higher. Your government's obsession is crushing households, small businesses and nationally important manufacturers like Tomago Aluminium. When will the minister be honest with the Australian people and admit that power bills will never come down unless we scrap net zero?

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll deal with those questions in turn. It's good to see the architect of this longer question time arriving. First of all, there is nothing more calculated to deliver higher costs for industry or households—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Ayres, please resume your seat. Senator Pocock?

David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just on a point of order: I think there's some sort of standing order against talking about senators coming in and out of the chamber. I just ducked to the toilet quickly.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Pocock. It is a convention, but I will remind Senator Ayres not to name senators who are here and senators who may not be here. Minister Ayres, please continue.

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will endeavour as always not to hurt anybody's feelings. There is nothing more calculated to put up electricity prices than more policy uncertainty. What we saw over the period of the last government was a government that was determined to never land an electricity policy framework. As a consequence, as Senator Canavan pointed out, prices nearly doubled under the last government. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bell, a second supplementary?

Sean Bell (NSW, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, inflation is now rising again, driven in large part by soaring electricity costs caused by Labor's net zero obsession, and everyday Australians are drowning. One Nation, Australian families and businesses are asking you: please, end your dangerous and damaging race to net zero oblivion before more people lose their homes, jobs and livelihoods.

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not sure there was a question in there, but I would just observe that it has been very interesting to watch over the last couple of days that some of the characters amongst One Nation and their adjoining—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ayres, I'm assuming you are referring to elected officials, so please refer to them as 'senators' if that is indeed who you are referring to.

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Canavan himself has moved from complaining about net zero to proposing a solution. He's moved from that to proposing that we should build some more coal-fired power stations. That's what he's proposed. He proposed that when the Morrison government was in government. It was called the Collinsville Power Station.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ayres, I am going to draw you back to Senator Bell's question. I appreciate you can take interjections, but, on this occasion, Senator Canavan wasn't interjecting. So I am going to draw you back to the question.

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The only thing—in response to your question, Senator Bell—that would be a worse idea in terms of electricity prices than building power stations powered by coal, which were never built but were just press releases, is the nuclear plan that these characters brought to the last election. They would have put household bills up sky-high. They would have put industrial bills up— (Time expired)