QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Mr BOWEN (McMahon—Minister for Climate Change and Energy) (15:10): I thank the member for Gilmore for her question. She is a big supporter of the Albanese government's cheaper home batteries policy because her electorate have been big beneficiaries. The honourable member asked me about delivery of that election commitment, and I can tell the House that policy has been in operation today for 100 days.

In that 100 days, it has delivered 81,413 batteries to Australians. I updated the House yesterday on the league table in Western Australia and New South Wales, and today I'll add Victoria. Congratulations to the member for Indi, who leads the league table in Victoria; the member for Hawke, who comes second in Victoria; and the member for Flinders, who comes third in Victoria.

This is a regional and outer-suburban story. In Queensland, it's a very big day for the member for Wright. Not only is his mum in the gallery, but he leads the league table in Queensland!

A big congratulations to the member for Wright and also the member for Bowman, and the member for Blair comes in third in Queensland. Last but very much not least, there's South Australia, which actually, per capita, leads the take-up of cheaper home batteries. We have Mayo coming in first, Sturt coming in second and Boothby coming in third, followed closely by Spence.

Again, this is a suburban story. The honourable member asked me about cost-of-living relief. Interestingly, half the people installing a battery under the Albanese government's cheaper home batteries policy are also either installing solar panels at the same time—brand new solar panels—or adding to their solar panel array.

Now, we know that, if you add solar panels and a battery at the same time, that can reduce your annual bill by more than $2,000 a year. Some people will never get a bill again, depending on the size of their solar panels and the energy use. This is real cost-of-living relief for Australians when they need it.

And if that's what this policy can achieve in 100 days, imagine what it's going to achieve over this term of delivery for the Australian people. The honourable member asked me, 'Are there any risks?' And I think there are. The opposition wasn't too impressed with this policy during the election campaign.

The then shadow treasurer criticised the policy—said only rich people would take it up. Au contraire, Mr Speaker, based on the figures around the country. The then leader of the opposition opposed it.

And now we've got my old friend, who I miss dearly, the member for Fairfax, saying that he will cut, cut, cut the federal budget. He's saying that there will be sweeping cuts. Well, will the battery policy be cut under a Ley administration?

That's what the Australian people deserve to know. The member for Fairfax—and I'm sorry he's left the chamber—says he's going to cut policies. He needs to explain what those cuts will be.

And, most particularly, will he take away the rights of Australians to cut their energy bills by up to 90 per cent by installing a cheaper home battery under the Albanese Labor government's policy? That's the question he needs to answer.