STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Dr TRISH COOK (Bullwinkel) (13:47): More than 50,000 home batteries have been installed in WA under the Albanese government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program. I'm particularly pleased to inform the House that my postcode, 6112, in my electorate of Bullwinkel, is leading WA in the uptake of the program. This is a real testament to outer suburban communities embracing rooftop solar and home batteries to harness renewable energy and lower their power bills.

To mark the 50,000-battery milestone, I joined the Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Josh Wilson, visiting a local family in Bedfordale who benefited from the program. Homeowners Dave and Ellen Gibbs are proud foster parents who can be caring for up to 10 young people at any one time. For a family of 12, this can understandably put pressure on household energy costs.

They told us their bills could be as high as $1,400, which is why they installed a home battery system, and they've seen a reduction in their power bills to more than half, at just over $600. The savings began before they even switched on the battery, with the total cost of installing their system reduced by 50 per cent thanks to the Albanese Labor government and the WA Cook Labor government.

I'm proud that our government is making it easier for families, like Dave and Ellen's, to make the most of free, clean energy generated from their rooftops.