PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Mr WILLCOX (Dawson) (13:01): Australia should be an energy superpower. We have coal and we have gas. We have the resources to power our nation; yet under this government, Australians are paying more for intermittent, unreliable power.
Electricity bills have increased by around 40 per cent, and remember, this is after the Prime Minister said that under his leadership, power would be $245 cheaper. It looks like he's changed his position again. Over the past four years, Australian households have spent an extra $23 billion on energy bills.
That's cold, hard cash being taken from family budgets—money that could have paid for groceries, school fees or mortgage repayments. Australians are experiencing a Labor created cost-of-living crisis and, under this Prime Minister, there's no sign of that ending. The result of high energy costs?
Well, for small businesses, it means higher operating costs. For manufacturers, it means higher production costs. For farmers, it means higher costs to pump water, run machinery and keep their paddocks ploughed.
For restaurants, it means higher costs to cook, cool and serve, which results in more expensive nights out for everyone. For transport operators, it means higher costs to keep the trucks moving. Energy is not some abstract policy debate; it's the engine of our economy.
When energy prices rise, everything that uses energy becomes more expensive. When Australians pay more for power than they do overseas, we lose our competitive advantage. That means fewer opportunities for Australian workers and greater reliance on products made from somewhere else.
We are already becoming dangerously dependent on fuel from overseas. Around 90 per cent of our transport fuel is now imported from overseas. We're relying on other countries to keep Australia moving.
When the supply is disrupted, the shock travels fast. It hits the bowser, the farm gate and the family budget. For a country with all the resources, this is simply not good enough.
Our economy depends on fuel. Higher transport costs mean higher costs for everyone. A country like Australia should never be caught short on energy.
It is needed for our economy—to keep it moving. We need an energy policy that starts with what actually works, not what fits this Labor ideology. The coalition's plan is simple.
We will use every reliable tool available to us—coal, gas, hydro and renewables, in the right place—and it's time to remove the ban on nuclear. This should not be a contest between technologies; it should be a contest to deliver better outcomes. If a technology can't provide affordable, reliable energy, we should not be prepared to use it.
If it can strengthen our grid, support Australian industry and keep the lights on, then it deserves a place. We should not be shutting down proven energy sources before we have reliable replacements ready. We should not be asking Australian families to carry the cost of that experiment.
The government talks constantly about the transition, but Australians are asking a much simpler question: when will the power become affordable again? You cannot build a stronger economy on ever-rising energy costs. You cannot create manufacturing jobs by making manufacturing more expensive.
And you cannot claim to have energy security while importing nine out of every 10 litres of fuel. Australia does not have an energy shortage; Labor has an energy policy problem. We have the resources, we have the technology, we have the workers and we have the capability to power our future, but we need a government with the political will to use them.
Australians need energy that is reliable and affordable. Businesses need certainty. Farmers need competitiveness.
Manufacturers need lower input costs. Workers need secure jobs. And families need to know that, when the power bill arrives, they can afford to pay it.
This government has made energy more expensive and less secure. The alternative is clear, and it starts with a cheaper, better, fairer plan: an energy system that puts Australian households and jobs first. Australia has the resources to be an energy superpower.
The coalition has the plan to make it work for them. (Time expired) The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Wilkie ): I understand that the member for Pearce would like to present a copy of their speech for incorporation into Hansard, in accordance with the resolution agreed to on 6 November 2025.