Wednesday, 1 May 2024

Energy policy

Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (14:38): The Treasurer might find that that facility is actually in Bridgewater and not Newbridge if he looked at the map.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Nationals and the Premier will come to order. Leader of the Nationals, I will sit you down; you will not get a question.

Peter WALSH: My question is to the Minister for Energy and Resources. As part of Labor’s war on gas, rebates for households and businesses buying gas appliances have been banned. This decision disproportionately hurts regional Victorians, with 70 per cent of rebates delivered to people living in regional centres such as Bendigo and Ballarat. Why is the government targeting regional Victorians as part of its war on gas?

Lily D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park – Minister for Climate Action, Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for the State Electricity Commission) (14:39): I have looked forward to this question, frankly, for quite some time. Can I just say, there is no war – only in the minds of those opposite, who want to pretend that something sinister is happening when in fact it is not – because our agenda is very clear. Guess who the greatest beneficiaries of the renewable energy jobs that we are creating are: regional Victorians in terms of jobs growth and in terms of economic development, a revenue source for local governments in those areas that otherwise would be struggling and the skills of those young people knowing they have got jobs close to where they live in regional Victoria.

I am not going to be lectured by anyone opposite, who have time and time again proved to be opposed to everything that is about the future here in this state, including our renewable energy transition. Let us also be clear about this. In terms of –

Peter Walsh: On a point of order, Speaker, on the issue of relevance, this is about why the government is targeting people in regional Victoria on gas rebates, and I would ask you to bring her back to answering that question, please.

The SPEAKER: The minister was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Lily D’AMBROSIO: I am not going to apologise for protecting Victorians against those who want to increase their profits by locking Victorians into long-term decades of increased gas prices and gas bill increases by those who privatise our energy system.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Nepean can leave the chamber for an hour.

Member for Nepean withdrew from chamber.

Lily D’AMBROSIO: What I am more interested in is perhaps some of those companies might want to give incentives to get people onto cheaper-to-run electrical appliances, because that will actually deliver savings. Let us be clear about which side of the house is actually interested in delivering fair outcomes for Victorians when it comes to their energy bills: only this side, protecting consumers against the privatised companies that those people delivered to Victorians, which only led to higher disconnections in this state and higher prices. And, guess what, they are delivering higher prices. If they want to bring back gas, which is their policy, all they are going to be doing is bringing back higher gas prices and locking Victorians into higher bills for decades to come. That is what they want to deliver.

Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (14:42): The Australian Pipelines and Gas Association chief executive Steve Davies has said that the decision to ban rebates means purposefully making Victorians pay more for essential appliances during a cost-of-living crisis. Why are Labor making Victoria’s cost-of-living crisis worse due to their ban on gas?

The SPEAKER: There is a very tenuous link between the first question and the supplementary.

Lily D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park – Minister for Climate Action, Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for the State Electricity Commission) (14:43): I thank the member for the supplementary question. You know what, there was a time when those opposite were in government, and, guess what, they did. They rammed legislation through this Parliament to actually increase the cost –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the minister is debating the question.

The SPEAKER: I ask the minister to come back to the question.

Lily D’AMBROSIO: We have a very proud record of reducing the up-front cost of energy appliances for Victorians. The Victorian energy upgrades program is going from strength to strength, reducing the up-front cost of more efficient electrical appliances. That not only saves Victorians the up-front cost of getting these appliances installed but actually gives savings on their bills each and every year. Those opposite tried to ram through legislation to kill off the Victorian energy upgrades program, and it did not get up only because of us opposite having voted against it and one of their own side doing the dirty on them and crossing the floor. That is what protected the Victorian energy upgrades program. We are going to continue to stick to it and defend Victorians and protect them by giving them cheaper energy bills.