STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr PASIN (Barker) (16:27): Energy bills for Australian businesses, families and industry, including in Barker, have skyrocketed by nearly 40 per cent. The Albanese Labor government promised power bills would fall by $275. Instead, nearly a quarter-of-a-million households have been forced onto hardship or payment assistance plans.

Constituents in Barker have told me they can't afford to use the heater, have timed short showers and keep stove use to an absolute minimum. Australians are suffering because of this government's obsession with net zero, which has driven up the cost of power, destroyed manufacturing and gutted regional communities while doing nothing—I say nothing—to change the climate.

We should be making the most of our abundant coal and gas to bring down the cost of energy, power industry and make Australian manufacturers, farmers and miners more competitive on the world stage. Labor's opposition to fossil fuels and their ideological obsession with renewables have meant resource projects have been buried under mountains of red, green and black tape.

The coalition will scrap net zero and make Australia an energy superpower. We will use Australia's abundant energy resources, keep reliable generation in the system, lift the ban on nuclear power and unlock more Australian gas for Australians. Only the coalition has a strong plan to restore Australia's standard of living and protect our way of life.