QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Mr BOWEN (McMahon—Minister for Climate Change and Energy) (14:27): I thank the honourable member for the question. What I can guarantee is that every single cheaper home battery has been installed under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, which is one of the world's most rigorous schemes for compliance, which has been operating under governments of both persuasions and ministers of both persuasions and has ensured the safe rollout of more than four million rooftop solar installations and more than half a million cheaper home battery installations.
The member refers to complaints about cheaper home batteries. I can confirm that this scheme has received 315 complaints in relation to the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, which covers solar panel installations, battery installations and solar hot water installations. That is 0.04 per cent of 800,000 installations in the last 12 months.
Of those complaints, 106 matters were referred for other enforcement and 17 matters have needed to be progressed for formal investigations. That's 17 out of more than 530,000 cheaper home battery installations and 800,000 others. That's 0.002 per cent of installed systems referred for formal investigation and 0.01 per cent referred to other enforcement agencies.
The SPEAKER: The manager on a point of order? Mr Tehan: It goes to the question and relevance to the question. It was a very specific— Government members interjecting— Mr Tehan: This isn't funny.
This goes to the safety of people's homes. The minister was asked whether he can guarantee the safety of all batteries that have been installed under this program and whether they have been installed safely and in compliance with technical requirements. The SPEAKER: The minister addressed that in the first part of the answer when he explained—and I listened carefully; I've got some notes here about it—how the batteries are installed and what guidelines they're installed with.
He did directly answer that part of the question. I heard that. I'm sure everyone else did as well.
But I'll make sure that, if he's got additional information for the question he was specifically asked, where he is being directly relevant, he remains directly relevant. Mr BOWEN: I think every Australian of reasonableness and good faith knows that every electrical instrument, every electrical application, comes with risk. The television has risk.
An oven has risk. Every electrical item has risk. Cars have risks.
That's why you have strict regulation and enforcement and compliance. That's why the Clean Energy Regulator, with other bodies and state bodies, regulates the installation of cheaper home batteries. I note that the Clean Energy Regulator has appeared before Senate estimates on multiple occasions since the Cheaper Home Batteries Program was introduced.
Do you know how many times the opposition has asked the Clean Energy Regulator a question at Senate estimates? The answer is zero—zero. They haven't bothered to ask them.
Now, the cheaper home batteries scheme is being implemented by the government but installed by the private sector—more than 12,000 installers across the country. I've got to say these are highly credentialed, well-qualified, hardworking Australians, and they do not need to be traduced by the member for Wannon or anyone else. I don't know why the opposition is so opposed to small businesses who are committing no crime other than helping Australians reduce their bills to zero.
These Aussie businesses, who are growing, who are working day and night and on weekends, deserve better than to be defamed and traduced by the member for Wannon, who is a disgrace. The SPEAKER: Is the member for Wannon seeking to table a document? Mr Tehan: I seek leave to table— Mr Burke interjecting— Mr Tehan: No, I'm allowed to at least say what I'm trying to table.
Why are you so sensitive about this? The SPEAKER: Alright, we'll do this properly. You seek to table a document?
Mr Tehan: I seek leave to table multiple freedom-of-information documents which detail allegations of systemic fraud in the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. Mr Burke: The answer has not changed.