James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australians were promised cheaper energy under a Labor government led by Anthony Albanese. In fact, the Prime Minister promised households that their power bills would fall by $275. He made that promise 97 times. But, instead, energy bills have skyrocketed by 40 per cent under Labor. This is the reality facing Australian families and businesses every single day. Higher energy costs flow through to everything from groceries to freight, and Australians are struggling.

Labor's ideological net zero obsession is failing the nation. Their renewables-only agenda, championed by energy minister Chris Bowen, is simply not delivering the reliability or affordability Australians need. We need a sensible mix, one that keeps coal-fired power stations online and provides us with natural gas capacity while we transition to a lower-emissions future—and nuclear technology must be part of that mix. Australians do not want ideology; they want reliable and affordable power so they can heat their homes in winter and cool them in summer. If Labor continue on their path, things will only get worse—and we're seeing the results of that now, as Australians are forced to ration fuel due to shortages.

The buck stops with Chris Bowen and Anthony Albanese, who are taking a Marie Antoinette approach to energy: 'Rather than let them eat cake, just let people sit at home in the dark.' It is on the government, with all its support in the Public Service, to ensure Australians have adequate supplies of fuel. I can tell you that, in Queensland, people are running out of fuel and tractors are running out of fuel. It is up to this government to fix the problem.