PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Ms CLUTTERHAM (Sturt) (13:23): Energy security is a critical part of every economy. It's an issue of national security and of food security. Without energy security, health services are compromised, our defence forces cannot perform optimally—putting the safety of personnel at risk—and everyday Australians cannot do the work and leisure activities they take for granted.
Energy security is about availability. It's about having enough energy sources like solar, wind, gas and hydro to meet everyday and peak demand. Energy security is about reliability—or the grid's capability to recover quickly from unexpected faults, extreme weather or equipment failure.
And, balanced with reliability and availability, energy security is about affordability. It's about keeping prices fair and as stable as possible so that households and businesses can access reliable energy at a price that does not cause hardship. The Albanese Labor government understands this, and, although it has acted to address energy costs, we know that there is more to do.
Power bill relief and gas price caps have played a role in this, as have the solar sharer scheme and the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. Over 500,000 Australians have taken advantage of this program in the past 12 months, and, in my electorate of Sturt, people write to me telling me that, thanks to this program, they no longer receive a bill. This is a good thing and we need more of it.
The Cheaper Home Battery Scheme is part of the industrial-scale transition from ageing coal-fired power plants to clean, renewable energy, firmed up, for now, by gas. We know that substantial investment is needed, and we know that this investment will create new social and economic opportunities in all sectors and regions, but it will need to be sustained over the long-term because the transition to renewable energy will not happen overnight.
We need to be patient. We can't just say, 'Prices are too high, so the transition has failed.' We need to take risks, and we need to recognise that these risks are not only about what could go wrong, but about what could go right. We need to continue investing, researching, exploring and walking together when risks don't always crystallise immediately, especially when Treasury modelling shows that wholesale electricity costs will be lower than the long-term average under the transition to renewable energy.
Although patience is required, that doesn't necessarily help households now seeking to meet cost-of-living challenges, including energy costs. So, as well as providing energy bill relief and opportunities like community and home batteries, this government has implemented structural changes to the energy market to make the market fairer for consumers. The Australian Energy Market Commission has implemented new rules that will prohibit energy retailers from increasing prices more than once a year.
The rules will also prevent customers from being charged more than the standing offer price if their initial low-cost entry offer changes or expires. In addition, excessive retailer charges like late payment fees for retail contracts will be banned, and more opportunities will be provided to help people shop around, so that low-income families and other vulnerable Australians are receiving the best possible deal, together with proper, meaningful assistance in times of hardship.
This government also commissioned the Nelson review, which reported in December 2025, to examine a number of matters relevant to the National Electricity Market, including what the best future market settings are to promote investment in firmed renewable generation and storage capacity within the National Electricity Market, and how best to support the development and staged implementation of reforms to the National Electricity Market wholesale market that support the achievement of the National Electricity Objectives.
These are to promote efficient investment in—and efficient operation and use of—electricity services for the long-term interests of consumers of electricity with respect to many issues, including price, quality, safety, reliability and security of supply. So we are acting, with short-term relief for Australians and Australian businesses when it is needed; medium-term structural change with respect to the wholesale markets, retail markets and the national electricity market; and a long-term achievable transition to clean, renewable energy—which, in my electorate of Sturt, is what many people in the community are asking for.
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