Chris Bowen
McMahon · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“This builds on very important investments in our community, including 3,000 presentations to the Fairfield Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, including, in a couple of instances, members of my own family; 25,000 presentations to the Wentworthville urgent care clinic, which is important for the Greystanes and Pemulwuy community; and 22,000 prese…”
“Well, it's 1 July, an important day in our ambitions to deliver real change for Australians—real change that the Australian people instructed us to commence in 2022 and instructed us to keep going with in 2025. It's an important day with that real change and with a very strong focus on cost-of-living relief.”
“I thank the honourable member for the question. I can confirm for the honourable member that there is nothing 'so called' about free power when it's a requirement of law for the energy companies to provide it as an option to people in the relevant jurisdictions, including the constituents of Fowler.”
“I thank the honourable member for the question and thank her for our recent visit to a wonderful part of the world. One of the things we did was talk about cheaper home batteries. Today is 1 July, which means the cheaper home batteries policy is officially one year old today.”
“For those people who take that offer up, Morgan Stanley have found, for example, that some families could save $660 a year, which we on this side of the house think is a good thing. Those on that side of the house are opposed to it.”
“When we came to office, home batteries were in one in 60 houses. Now it's one in 17. That's wonderful for those families that are reducing their bills, in many cases to nothing and in some cases getting a rebate instead of a bill, but it's very good for putting downward pressure on energy prices for everyone.”
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“This sensible relaxation accompanies also the operation of the National Coordination Mechanism, which is operating as I speak to ensure that we are working with industry. This is a practical measure: 100 million litres of extra fuel each month, which will be prioritised for regional Australia, with a particular emphasis on Queensland. This is action taken by the government; the opposition didn't call for this. The government has done it because it is a practical action to help farmers, help regional Australians, through this immediate crisis.”
“This will, as I said, enable that supply to be blended into the existing Australian supply, and it will see 100 million litres of extra fuel each month for the two months for which I have provided the relaxation. I have asked for and received an assurance from Ampol that this extra supply will be prioritised for regional Australia and for the spot market to take pressure off those regional areas feeling such pressure. This will be felt most immediately in Queensland, where the Lytton refinery is. I can assure Australians that, while this is a relaxation, our fuel quality will remain very high by international standards—higher than when we came to office. The standards will still be higher than in 2022 and indeed higher than in 2025.”
“In addition, the government has been working all week to ensure that we are doing everything possible with the industry to see as much supply as possible flow. I'm pleased to announce to the House further actions undertaken today to build on the actions taken yesterday by the Treasurer and I, and by other ministers during the week. Today I have decided to relax the requirements under the Fuel Quality Standards Act when it comes to sulphur content on a temporary 60-day basis. This will see 100 million litres of extra fuel flow in Australia a month over that time. This is relevant only to the Ampol refinery, which currently makes fuel for export to countries with lower fuel standards than us.”
“I thank my honourable friend for the question. The situation remains a very difficult international environment. Fuel supplies continue to arrive in Australia as scheduled, and our fuel stocks remain very strong. Our minimum stock obligation is being held and is in excess. But the situation also is this: in rural and regional Australia in particular, we continue to see unacceptable shortages, we continue to see supply chain constraints and we continue to see a doubling of demand. It is the case that demand has doubled. Use has not. Demand has doubled. As I've said previously, to a certain degree, that is very understandable as Australians are concerned when they see the news about what's happening internationally. Therefore, it's incumbent on all honourable members to continue the message that our fuel supplies are secure.”
“I can guarantee that Australia enters this crisis much better prepared. We currently have 36 days of petrol supply on hand, 29 days of jet fuel and 32 days of diesel. The Leader of the Opposition was asked in 2020, when he held my position—”
“We are working cooperatively with the industry to ensure that it is delivered to the regions that are experiencing shortages as quickly and as efficiently as possible, with the supply chain constraints that are in place, with the transport restrictions, natural restrictions of the size of the transport industry that are in place, and that work will continue. We'll work with anybody of good faith with any good ideas. I'm yet to hear one from the opposition.”
“I can also inform Transwest and the House that we are seeing increased demand. I think the honourable member referred to the Newcastle and Brisbane terminals. Demand at the Newcastle terminal is up 136 per cent and demand at the Brisbane terminal is up 115 per cent. That will put pressure on supply. It will when that happens. It doesn't matter, to be fair, who's in office at that time. When you see doubling of demand, it's going to cause some pressures on supply in the short-term. But, nationally, our stocks are good.”
“I can certainly assure Transwest and ensure the House and ensure every Australian that our fuel supplies are secure, with more fuel coming to Australia every day. I can assure Transwest and assure the member for Groom that 18 vessels have arrived this month to unload fuel and crude oil in Australia, and 33 more vessels are on the water and scheduled for the rest of the month. The chief executives I've spoken to have assured me that there is absolutely no reason to suspect that they won't arrive on time and as expected. I can also inform Transwest and the House that our minimum stock obligation, which this government put in place to be held in Australia for Australians at times of crisis, is in place with three billion litres of diesel and 1½ billion litres of petrol in place that will be called upon as necessary.”
“I did refer to fuel being delivered to Kwinana because there has been. But the honourable member raises a question on behalf of a business. If the honourable member wants to provide me with the details of that, I will make inquiries on behalf of that business, see what can be arranged for that business and check the situation with her fuel supplier. Honourable members should know I invited honourable members opposite to come and see me yesterday with any issues they wanted to discuss. One did. I welcomed their visit, and we had a good, confidential discussion about the issues, and I'm happy to do that with any honourable member. One member visited me to discuss the issues in their region, and I very much welcomed their visit. Any honourable member is welcome to raise issues with me in good faith, and they will be dealt with in good faith.”
“In relation to the honourable member's question, it's also necessary—and, I would have thought, it's in the interests of the honourable member's community—for all of us to point out that fuel continues to come into Australia at the expected level and that our fuel supply stockholdings are good, which they weren't previously. Before 2023, when we instituted the minimum stock obligation, whatever holdings we held were in Texas, and we would be in a very difficult position if that was the case. We would be in a difficult position if that was still the case.”
“As we've said consistently this week, we recognise fully that, in regional areas in particular, there are shortages and that the supply chain is under huge pressure, as we've seen a massive increase in demand. That has been our consistent position. It remains our consistent position. We've been very clear that no-one in the fuel supply chain should seek business or economic benefit out of that. Today the Treasurer and I have worked very closely together with the ACCC to ensure that ACCC penalties are increased for the sorts of behaviour that see people—if anyone is—trying to exploit that situation for their own financial gain. The ACCC will deal with it.”
“What is not understandable is any Australian who seeks to capitalise on this—and I've seen on Facebook Marketplace people selling jerry cans of fuel at inflated prices. I've seen people—”
“As the government have always said, we are not discounting the risks in the market internationally, but we enter this crisis very well prepared, and that is what Australians can be reassured of. We are seeing very big increases in demand, particularly in regional areas. Let me make it very clear: I understand why Australians would be concerned, particularly if they see misinformation online, and I understand why they may be tempted to buy extra fuel. That is very understandable. But our message to Australians is: buy as much fuel as you need—not less, not more. That is an important and responsible message that any member of parliament, I think, would be encouraged to deliver.”
“I thank my honourable friend for the question. I can inform the member for Aston and the House that our fuel supplies remain in a good position, with 1.56 billion litres of petrol in our minimum stock obligation, three billion litres of diesel and 800 million litres of jet fuel, and also that fuel continues to arrive in Australia in the predicted way and at the predicted level, and that supply to Australia remains good. I can also report to the House that our two refineries are working well. They are responsible for around 20 per cent of the country's fuel demand, and, while it would have been better if we had six, we do have two and they are providing a very valuable role as we supply fuel across the country.”
“But we should also reassure Australians that industry and government working together can ensure that the supply of fuel to Australians is secure and there is no need for panic buying. We've paid our thanks to the member for Maranoa, who has said something very similar, and he has behaved responsibly. Not every honourable member opposite has taken the same approach. When honourable members opposite question whether Australia's supply of fuel is secure, they are undermining the national interest, because our fuel supply is secure.”
“In addition, we have the minimum stock obligation fuel supplies, which, contrary to what the Deputy Premier of Queensland so irresponsibly told Queenslanders and Australians yesterday, have not been accessed and are still there to be called upon if and when necessary. So it is the responsible thing to do to say to Australians that our fuel supplies are secure. At the same time, we have acknowledged that we are facing supply chain issues in regional Australia in particular and that we've seen demand for the Perth terminal, for example, increase by 165 per cent. Regardless of who is in office, regardless of what petrol companies are doing, that will put pressure on, and we should be honest about that. That will put pressure on supply, and we will see localised shortages, and we are.”
“Not only did I say and do I say that Australia's fuel supply is secure; every honourable member should say that, because that's the truth. The responsible truth to tell the Australian people is that we continue to receive fuel supplies as expected. In the last 10 days, fuel supplies have arrived in Australia in Townsville, Brisbane, Cairns, Broome, Geelong, Gore Bay, Kwinana, Gladstone and Mackay. Those fuel supplies have been coming in as expected. At least 16 vessels have already arrived this month, and there are many more on the way, with 25 to 30 more vessels expected this month. The chief executives I've spoken to today have told me that there are no indications that that fuel won't arrive.”
“I can tell the House that ships continue to arrive in Australia, but they are experiencing those localised disruptions because of that very elevated demand. We'll continue to work with them in the terms which I've outlined.”
“In addition, I've asked the secretary of my department over the last 24 hours to exercise the powers available to him under section 13E of the Petroleum and Other Fuels Reporting Act to seek additional information about supply and demand at the fuel distribution terminals around Australia. I've asked the secretary, of course, to balance carefully the compliance burden on small business, which I would have thought honourable members opposite would have thought of as well—to ensure that any changes that are made balance the need for improved information at the regional level with any compliance burden on small business. In addition, today I've spoken to a number of CEOs of fuel companies, of large distribution and small, and service stations. They've advised me that supply continues to flow, as would be expected.”
“In addition, I can say to the House, in direct answer to the honourable member, that the Treasurer and I have worked closely together today to ensure that we are working with the industry and that any necessary ACCC exemptions are granted—it's an independent matter for the ACCC, of course, but we are working to facilitate that conversation with the ACCC—which would allow the companies to ensure that they are working together appropriately, not inappropriately, to ensure supplies to regional areas. We have also, the Treasurer and I, worked together to announce the doubling of penalties for false and misleading conduct and for cartel behaviour to a maximum of $100 million per offence, and we're asking the ACCC to ramp up fuel price monitoring and to report in weekly with a focus on unusual price spikes.”
“I thank the honourable member for her question and the spirit in which she asked it. She is right, of course; across regional Australia, we have seen real pressures on the supply chain as demand has increased. I can tell the honourable member that demand in the Adelaide terminal has increased by 139 per cent, for example, and that is putting pressure on supply chains. It is important for all honourable members, I think, to be clear with Australians that supplies to Australia continue strongly and that we continue to have our minimum stock obligation, which has not been accessed.”
“As a Western Sydney resident and MP, I'm concerned about small businesses and residents right across Western Sydney, and I'm concerned to ensure that they continue to have access to fuel. The best way we can do that is by reminding people that our fuel supplies are secure and there is no need for panic buying. We can remind people that, because of the actions of this government, we have 2.97 billion litres of diesel in our minimum stock obligations, and we have 1.56 billion litres of petrol in reserve—not called upon; in reserve—for if the situation in the Middle East gets worse. Let me say to the House: I won't hesitate to release those reserves if necessary. I will not hesitate, if that's what is necessary.”
“I thank the honourable gentleman for his question. It is the case that there can be real pressures on regional supply of diesel while our national fuel supply is in very good shape, which is the point the government has been making and which, frankly, we should all make. There's an obligation on all of us, and the Leader of the Nationals has been, to his credit, saying that we do have good supply of petrol and diesel and jet fuel to Australia, and there is no need for panic-buying.”
“I did require more reporting when we came to office in 2022, and if there is more sensible reporting that actually helps, then I'll do that as well. But I'll also weigh that against a burden of compliance on service stations. I would have thought the party opposite would want me to weigh that up and say: 'Is there extra reporting that we might ask service stations and small distributors to undertake? Is that a helpful addition to the information?' I'll weigh that up against the reporting burden for small and medium-sized businesses.”
“The honourable member asked when they can expect fuel supplies. The answer to that is we will continue to work with the industry—with all industries—to ensure that these pressures on the fuel supply are dealt with as quickly and as expeditiously as possible. I say very clearly to the Leader of the Nationals that, if he has a good-faith idea he wants to put forward, he is welcome to and I will listen to it. The only idea we've heard so far from the opposition is that I should require more reporting from service stations. That is it; they want a very earnest report. I've already indicated that I have issued an instruction that the MSO should now be updated weekly, not quarterly. And reporting is important. The Petroleum and Other Fuels Reporting Act 2017 has been in operation since then.”
“I thank the honourable the Leader of the Nationals for the question. For those farmers and for the other farmers who are experiencing difficulties getting diesel, I can say this very clearly. The difficulties you are experiencing are not currently as a result of a lack of fuel coming to our country. We have received supplies in recent days as we would expect to. Obviously we keep a close eye, with the industry, on what ships are on their way to Australia, and those ships are continuing to arrive. That's the point we are making—fundamentally, Australia's fuel security is strong. That is why there is no need for people to panic buy or to order 100 or 200 per cent of what they normally order, which is what the service stations association told us was happening across the country.”
“It's also the case—we need to be very honest with people—that stockpiling fuel on a property is not an undertaking without risk, and it's also very important that we send that message as well. Those opposite ask what we are doing about it. What we are doing about it is working with the industry. By 'industry', I mean industries across the board, with the refiners—the two that we have left in Australia, not the six that the previous government inherited. We had the member for Hume denying that foreclosed while he was the energy minister, but the facts speak for themselves.”
“I think I've outlined to the House that there are diesel shortages being faced in rural and regional Australia, in particular, in the face of massive spikes in demand. Now, that desire by people to get diesel is understandable, particularly when there's some misinformation out there about Australia's fuel supply, but it is very important that we all communicate that the biggest risk to fuel availability in Australia right now is panic buying. That is the biggest risk. That is why, when we see increases in demand for fuel in the Adelaide Hills and Barossa of 238 per cent, service stations and providers are going to find difficulty in meeting that demand—100 per cent. In Mildura, for example, of course that's the case.”
“I thank the honourable member for his question. As I outlined in my previous answer, yes, in regional Australia, there are real pressures on supply chains. So I am sure that the facts that the honourable member has put are correct, and I am sure that that is something that other companies in a similar situation are experiencing. That's why we have convened three meetings of the national oil emergency supply committee, which is an important committee which every state and territory is represented on. In addition, the relevant ministers and I have convened all the key stakeholders, including the National Farmers'—”
“Now, that is good for emissions, of course, but it also means we are less reliant on it. It still will have an impact. The international gas price will still have an impact on Australia, no doubt—but a little bit less. Our policy in relation to the diesel fuel rebate hasn't changed. It does provide support for farmers in particular in relation to their farm operations. But what we will do is continue with the sorts of policies that we are implementing, like the $1.1 billion cleaner fuel fund. The transition of our energy system to more renewables, which is the cheapest form of energy, is not dependent on global supply chains. I mean, Vladimir Putin cannot interrupt the supply of sun to Australia and the international circumstance in the Middle East cannot interrupt the flow of wind in Australia. So that is a reliable form of energy.”
“I saw the member for Mallee the other day say: 'We've got so much canola. Why are we sending it overseas to be processed? We should do more of that in Australia.' What a good idea. That is what our policy does, and that is why we announced a $1.1 billion fund to do just that—because it's good for Australian farmers, it's good for the environment and it's good for everyone. It didn't happen under the previous government, and the Treasurer, the minister for transport and I have begun that process. Now, also in relation to fossil fuels and the energy system, I'm pleased with the fact that, for example, in the last energy crisis in Ukraine, in that summer, we used in our energy grid 2.7 terawatt-hours of gas. The equivalent figure for this summer is 1.5 terawatt-hours of gas.”
“I thank the honourable member for her question. Can I say that in this environment, the government's first priority and first obligation and duty is to ensure the fuel security for the traditional liquid fuels that we all rely on. The honourable member is nodding, and I think we would all agree on that. That is what we're doing. I've outlined—and I may have other opportunities over the next hour—everything we're doing and will continue to do. Effectively, the honourable member also points to the fact that moving to more renewable energy makes us less reliant on the fossil fuel supply chain internationally, and that is correct. That is why we're doing things like the $1.1 billion fund to see more Australian manufacturing of low-carbon liquid fuels, for example. That is our policy.”
“I thank the honourable member for his question. It is true that in rural and regional Australia people are finding it difficult to get diesel, in particular, and there are many instances of that. It's a very serious matter, and it should be dealt with—”
“Building sovereign capability is hard work, working with industry, and that's what the Albanese government is doing, correcting the deindustrialisation of the last 10 years.”
“We did produce urea in Australia and it is a sad story that urea manufacturing closed while the member for Hume was the minister for energy. But I have good news. Urea manufacturing is coming back under the Albanese Labor government. Perdaman, in Karratha, is seeing 2½ thousand construction workers, as we speak, making a manufacturing facility which will produce 2.3 million tonnes of urea. I congratulate the Minister for Resources for the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, which has helped construct and fund this facility. I was unaware that the member for Maranoa was working with the Minister for Resources to support this program—claiming credit for construction work underway in 2026. Sovereign capability is not about an Instagram video next to old cars. It is not about spreading misinformation about net zero.”
“When the Altona refinery was shut in 2020, the member for Hume said, 'This will not negatively impact Australian fuel stockholdings.' Well, it's fair to say the closure of Altona and the closure of Kwinana and the others didn't help. In relation to urea, I'm also pleased to advise Australia's truckies that we have a stockpile of five weeks worth of technical grade urea, which adds to 12 weeks of privately held supplies, which means that we have very good supplies and backups for urea. Yet again, the reason that stockpile is necessary is that we saw the closure of Australia's only urea manufacturer, on Gibson Island, announced in 2021. Senator Canavan was out this morning—as you know, I'm always looking for bipartisanship—and he said: 'We used to produce urea in Australia. It's another sad story.' Well, he's right.”
“I thank the member for Calwell for his question and congratulate him on the role he's been playing since his election last year. As the situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate, Australians can be reassured that we enter this crisis well prepared. We have 1½ billion litres of petrol and three billion litres of diesel in our national stockpile, held in Geelong and in Lytton, which is a stockpile that was brought into force by law in 2023 as one of the first acts of this government. It is the case that we hold that stockpile of petrol and diesel in our two refineries. We would be better prepared if we had six refineries. When Labor lost office in 2013, there were six refineries operating in Australia; when we came back to office in 2022, there were just two refineries operating in Australia.”
“It's now being built under this government. That's what a future made in Australia looks like. That's what sovereign capability looks like. The Albanese government can't guarantee that there won't be international instability. We can't guarantee that there won't be impacts on prices and there won't be impacts across the energy supply chain. But we can guarantee that we enter this crisis better prepared than ever before, with the highest fuel stocks in 15 years, rebuilding sovereign capability on things like urea, and with a country that is prepared for the worst the world can throw at us. That's the Albanese government's approach.”
“I can tell the House that we now have a stockpile of five weeks worth of urea, 7½ thousand tonnes, which adds to the 12 weeks held by the private sector, which means we have substantial reserves when it comes to urea, which is necessary for trucking and for AdBlue, which is a very good thing indeed as well. In 2021, Australia's only producer of urea in Gibson Island announced its closure, and that meant we had no domestic sovereign capability. I'm also pleased to tell the House how much the government welcomes—they ask what we're doing about it—Perdaman's decision to develop a urea-manufacturing facility in the Burrup basin with the support of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. which is now under construction—sovereign capability in Australia for Australians. We've built a stockpile while we are waiting for that to happen.”
“I can tell the House that in Australia currently we hold 1½ billion litres of petrol and three billion litres of diesel in our minimum stock obligation, which is in effect a strategic reserve, and those stocks are held in the electorates of Corio and Bonner, which is where we think they should be held—here in Australia, not in Texas or Louisiana. We think the minimum stock obligation, the strategic reserve for our country, should be held in our country. That is the approach of the Albanese Labor government, which was a change of policy in 2023 over that which we inherited. In addition, I want to talk to Australia's truckies and to those who rely on Australian trucking and say we know how important AdBlue is for the importance of Australia's trucking industry. When we came to office, there was no stockpile of urea.”
“The very concerning events in the Middle East have led Australians, quite rightly, to ask about fuel security and how we're placed and have led to many questions about Australia's position. I'm pleased to tell the House and to inform Australians that we enter this period of great international instability very well prepared. In 2023, the Albanese government instituted the minimum stockholding obligation on Australia's refining companies. There had been no obligation before 2023 for Australia's refineries to hold minimum stocks.”
“It's a very well crafted question, because the plural is important—because we had 22 failed energy policies in the decade of those opposite. We saw 24 out of 28 coal-fired power stations announce their closure, with no plan to replace them, and all this led to four gigawatts leaving the grid and only one gigawatt coming on. And that led—”
“I thank my honourable friend for the question. Since 1 July, 256,630 Australian households have put in a cheaper home battery, and 1,941 of them have been in the electorate of Bonner. Only one of them's been visited by the Prime Minister and I and the member for Bonner, but 1,941 have put in a cheaper home battery, and that is 6.4 gigawatt hours. Now, interestingly, in terms of capacity, it took Australia 10 years to put in the first 6.4 gigawatt hours of home batteries and eight months to put in the second 6.4 gigawatt hours. That is a doubling of the capacity of home batteries under this government, and that is additional to the 9.4 gigawatt hours of large-scale energy that has been added since we came to office. The honourable member for Bonner asked me why we should avoid going back to the policies of the past.”
“I thank the honourable member for the question. The answer to the question is 34 days in relation to diesel, 32 days in relation to jet fuel and 36 days in relation to petrol. I know he only asked me about diesel, but I think he would be interested in the other figures as well. I am pleased to say that these stocks are the highest they've been for any time in the past 15 years. I'm very pleased to say that. Obviously, the more fuel supply we have on hand, the better. I am very glad that we now have more than at any time in the past 15 years. I do note that when we came to office, the stock was held in Texas and Louisiana. I'm not sure whether you'd call that the gulf of America or the Gulf of Mexico, but it's certainly not the gulf of Australia. We believe that our fuel supplies should be kept here—”
“There's no getting away from me. I thank the honourable member for the question. I thank the Prime Minister for the opportunity to take it. What Australians have had access to is 230,000 cheaper home batteries to reduce their bills to nothing, including 44 per cent of them in rural and regional Australia and including—in the honourable member's home state of Queensland, 55 per cent of cheaper home batteries have been in rural and regional Australia. Fifty-five per cent in Queensland—the people those opposite are meant to represent.”
“Those four gigawatts left the grid and only one gigawatt came on. We're still paying the price. Australian industry is paying the price. Australian households are paying the price. Australian households know that we need to get on with the job of the energy transition after a decade of denial and delay. That's what they asked us to do in May. That's what we'll keep doing while those opposite are focused on themselves.”
“It will probably double the wholesale market.' In fact, prices have halved since then. Double, half—it's all the same! This is good news for the member for Farrer, because numbers aren't the strong point of the member for Hume. When he when he's not getting them wrong, he's hiding them by changing the law or making them up, like he did when it came to the travel bill for the lord mayor of the City of Sydney, and then blaming his staff for it. The only thing that the member for Hume has more trouble with than numbers is working out what Facebook account he's logged into at any particular time. It's very confusing sometimes. It's very hard work. The trouble is there is very little cost to be paid for that sort of mistake, but Australians are paying the price of the member for Hume's mismanagement.”
“We saw emissions hit an all-time low as use hit an all-time high, and we also saw wholesale prices fall by 44 per cent to $50 a megawatt. The honourable member asks me why this is important after a decade of neglect and what the risks are. I have to say that the 50 per cent figure which we've just hit was not unpredicted. In fact, in 2018, the Labor Party indicated we would like to get to 50 per cent renewables. At the time the then energy minister was asked, 'What will that mean for wholesale prices if we get to 50 per cent renewables?' On the day he was asked, when he was the minister, wholesale prices were $92 a megawatt. The member for Hume was asked, 'What will happen to wholesale prices if we get to 50 per cent renewable energy?' He said: 'It will certainly have a huge impact on wholesale market.”
“The honourable member for Griffith will be particularly pleased to know, given we launched the cheaper home batteries policy in her now electorate—it wasn't her electorate at the time but it now is—in April that, as of today, 230,890 Australian households have installed a cheaper home battery, reducing their bills by up to 90 per cent and, in many cases, getting a rebate instead of a bill. Those figures are not included in the 7.7 gigawatts of dispatchable energy that we have added to the grid. To go to the honourable member's question about progress, we saw a sign of that progress in the last quarter of last year when we hit 51 per cent renewables for the first time. It was also a quarter of record electricity use. There was more electricity use than ever in Australian history, but the grid coped very well.”
“I'm very grateful to my honourable friend for the question and I'm particularly grateful for the interest shown by the National Party in my portfolio. To paraphrase my favourite Taylor: 'It's actually sweet, all the time you've spent on me. It's actually romantic.'”