MOTIONS
Ms FERNANDO (Holt) (17:50): Good policies are the ones people see working in their homes and feel in their household budgets. The Cheaper Home Batteries Program is exactly that kind of policy. Since 1 July last year, the Albanese Labor government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program has delivered more than 500,000 batteries for households, small businesses and community groups by cutting the upfront cost of a typical battery by around 30 per cent.
Households with rooftop solar are saving up to $1,100 every year. It is extra room in a family budget when every dollar counts. More than one in three Australian homes have rooftop solar panels to generate cheap power during the day, but families need that power the most after sunset.
A battery bridges that gap, storing energy so it is ready for dinner time, homework time and the evening peak. The equation is simple. Generate it during the day, store it, use it at night and pay less.
Families in my electorate of Holt already understand this. There have been 3,729 solar batteries installed in Holt, providing over 116,000 kilowatt hours of usable capacity. From Hampton Park to Narre Warren South all the way down to Cranbourne and Clyde North, households are taking control of the power they produce and the bills they pay.
But batteries do more than lower individual household bills. When the Australian Energy Market Operator compared 10,000 homes with solar and batteries against 10,000 homes with solar alone, during the evening peak, homes with batteries drew 73 per cent less electricity from the grid. Let that sink in—73 per cent.
That means less strain when the system is at its busiest, guaranteeing better reliability and putting downward pressure on power prices for everyone. That tells us that more than three-quarters of these installations are happening outside inner-city communities. Holt families aren't interested in ideological energy wars.
They just want to know: If a policy works in practical terms, does it lower bills? Does it keep the lights on? On both tests, this program delivers.
It helps households squeeze every drop of value from solar panels that they've already paid for, all while supporting thousands of jobs for electricians, apprentices and small businesses across our suburbs and regions. Those opposite might talk this down, but let's be clear: a program delivering half a million batteries is not a disaster. A program cutting bills and stabilising the grid is not a disaster.
A program that has doubled its installer workforce is not a disaster. It is delivery. The experts agree.
Both AEMO and the CSIRO confirmed that renewable energy backed by storage is the lowest cost way to replace ageing coal and build the reliable grid Australia needs. What is the coalition's alternative? Is it to spend billions keeping old coal stations alive and pursuing nuclear reactors that would take years to build?
We haven't forgotten their record. During their decade in office, 24 out of 28 coal plants announced closures, and, when benchmark power prices were set to surge just before the 2022 elections, they deliberately hid that fact from the Australian people until after polling day. The choice today is clear.
The coalition wants to freeze this progress and strip away household support. The Albanese Labor government is helping families lower their bills right now by backing local jobs and building a stronger, cheaper grid for the future. It is good for households, it is good for the grid and it is good for Holt homes.