PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Mr GEORGANAS (Adelaide) (18:33): We know that families are doing it tough out there. All of us in our electorates here can talk to constituents. That's why this government is doing all that it can to put downward pressure on electricity, on energy prices, on supermarket prices and on a whole range of other things.

It's easy to criticise and have no policies in place, but it's harder to actually balance all of this and make sure that we're doing all that we can, as this government is doing. For example, we introduced the Cheaper Home Batteries program, reducing the upfront cost of home batteries by around 30 per cent, helping households dramatically cut their energy bills by 90 per cent.

I've met constituents, and I speak to constituents in my electorate who have benefited from this program. Families have told me that their power bills are much lower now, their homes are more energy independent and they have more money left over for groceries, school expenses and household costs. This is real cost-of-living relief.

We've also delivered a $1.7 billion energy-saving package, helping households, small businesses, farmers and local governments reduce their energy use and lower their bills. While those on the other side have spent years debating climate change, one of the reasons we're in this position is that there was no energy policy. I think there were about nine different policies that were changed.

Just getting the acceptance that we have to go to renewables has delayed us for many, many years. The whole idea is that we have more players in the market and more renewables in the market, which will bring prices down. We understand that lowering emissions and lowering energy costs can go hand in hand, and we know that energy bills remain, as I said, a challenge for many Australians.

That's why we've also established the Consumer Energy Resources Taskforce to help households get the most out of new energy technology, compare plans and switch to cheaper offers, because Australians deserve practical help, not political pointscoring. When gas prices came under pressure, we took action. We introduced the Domestic Gas Reservation Scheme, requiring exporters to make gas equivalent to 20 per cent of exports available for the Australian market.

That means more Australian gas for Australian households and businesses, it means putting downward pressure on domestic gas prices, and it means protecting Australian families and industry from global price shocks and volatility such as we've seen in the last few months with everything that's taking place in the Strait of Hormuz. The difference is simple. While the opposition talks about problems, we on this side, the government, are delivering and producing solutions.

We are helping families lower their energy bills, we're helping small businesses manage costs, we are strengthening Australia's energy security and we are ensuring that Australian resources deliver benefits for Australian people. So the difference between this government and those opposite is quite simple. When Australians were worried about rising power bills, we acted.

When families needed help with the cost of living, we delivered. When businesses needed certainty, we put practical measures in place to strengthen energy security and lower costs. We are not asking Australians to wait decades for a solution; we are trying to help them here and now through cheaper home batteries, energy-saving initiatives, support for households and small businesses and reforms to keep more Australian gas in the Australian market.

That way, we are putting downward pressure on energy costs while building a stronger and more secure energy future. While the opposition talks about the problem, this government is helping Australians pay the bills, because every policy we deliver is focused on one goal: ensuring Australian families, farmers and small businesses have the support that they need to get ahead with affordable and reliable energy.

At the last election, when we looked at the policy of the coalition, all we could see was some pie-in-the-sky nuclear plant to provide energy for Australians. It would have taken years and years—and still would take years and years—to develop, with billions and billions of dollars of cost. Whoever builds this nuclear plant to provide energy will want to recoup their money, so, for the first 20 years, there's going to be no reduction of energy costs.

This is what those opposite proposed at the last federal election. We need solutions, we need them now, and this government is taking all the action that we can take to make sure we bring downward pressure. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Dr Haines ): The time allotted for this debate has expired.

The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.