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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“I thank the honourable member for his question. As the Treasurer very eloquently pointed out to the House yesterday when the inflation figures were actually released, and as the ABS itself makes crystal clear, to use its words in relation to the annual increase: This is due to the timing of when the extended EBRF— Energy Bill Relief Fund— rebates were applied in some capital cities … That's what the ABS said yesterday, and of course that's the case: the rebates are paid in different months, and that is reflected in the figures in different ways.”
“The current member for Sturt is the best member Sturt's had in 50 years. I'm very glad to get a question from her and I'm very glad to tell the member for Sturt and the House that there is a milestone today, because, as of today, 40,004 Australian households have installed a cheaper home battery. And I'm happy to tell the House that South Australia has led the way.”
“What we have is two parties, one coalition, and many, many ways of killing net zero, and all that leads to net zero plan for the future of Australia—net zero plan for Australia's regions, who are relying on the Australian government to deal with the challenges of climate change and the impacts of drought and flood, net zero plan for Australians who need the jobs of the future to be created by a sensible plan to achieve net zero, which the Morrison-Joyce government once believed in. That's the replete alternatives we have from those opposite. Meanwhile, the Albanese government and Australian households—38,921 of them—get on with the job. (Time expired)”
“We're just waiting on the availability of Boris Johnson, Theresa May, Friedrich Merz, Angela Merkel and the two-thirds of Australian companies that are dedicated to net zero. We're waiting on their availability. Then we'll have a meeting. In the Liberal party room, the leader of the Liberal Party in the Senate said there's no time to waste to abolish net zero. I saw it on Sky News. It must be true! You shouldn't deny it. It's on Sky News all day, that Senator Cash has led this charge, trying to keep up with the leader of the National Party, who went to the conference on the weekend to undermine the Leader of the Liberal Party, who said they're out of the coalition unless they have their way.”
“The honourable member asked me if there are any alternative approaches. I'm glad he used the plural. I think that was a very well-worded question because we are replete with alternative approaches to the question of climate change from those opposite, and that's just the leadership group. We saw, in the Liberal and National party room this morning, a push to get straight to abolishing net zero. Senator Canavan said they shouldn't wait for the Canavan review. He wants to get straight on to abolishing their support for net zero. He said on Sky News last night that net zero is 'a great socialist plan'. He is on to us! It's about time somebody stood up to those socialists in the Morrison-Joyce government who embarked on the policy of net zero. I'll convene an urgent meeting of Socialist International to discuss this matter.”
“I thank the member for Menzies for his question, and I'll get straight to the point: 38,921. That's how many cheaper home batteries have been installed in Australia since 1 July. That's how Australians—regional Australians, in particular—respond to clear policy direction from the Australian government. I told the House yesterday that the member for Gilmore has the biggest take-up in New South Wales. The member for Indi has the biggest take-up in Victoria. The member for Wright has the biggest take-up in Queensland, the member for Canning has the biggest take-up in Western Australia—getting on with the job of the transition to net zero—and the member for Mayo has the biggest take-up in South Australia and, in fact, the biggest take-up of cheaper home batteries in Australia. This is, as I said, how Australians respond to clear policies.”
“We also saw the anti-net-zero bill introduced and formally moved this morning not by the member for New England, it turns out, but by the member for Wide Bay and seconded by the member for Groom. I will always yield to the member for New England!”
“They know that they can get on with the job of reducing bills and emissions in their households just as we can elsewhere in the country. The honourable member asked me if we're being asked to consider any alternative plans, and of course the House is. We know you can feel the tension in the air. The country is waiting with bated breath, on tenterhooks, to find out what the Canavan review might possibly recommend when it comes to net zero. He's been charged by the Leader of the Opposition and the National Party to tell them what they should do and what they should think about net zero, but not everyone is waiting for the results of the Canavan review. The Leader of the Nationals was out on the weekend, voting to scrap net zero at the LNP conference.”
“I'm particularly pleased to tell the member for Gilmore that more of her constituents have introduced a cheaper home battery than any other electorate in New South Wales—a fact that we celebrated on my visit with the member for Gilmore to Dolphin Point last week when we visited Mike, who's just installed a cheaper home battery. I can tell the House that the second electorate in New South Wales for the record for installing cheaper home batteries is Richmond, so congratulations to the member and community of Richmond. The third is Page, so congratulations to the member for Page. What this shows is that, up and down the coast, all through regional Australia, Australians understand that what is good for the planet is good for their pocket. That's what regional Australians know.”
“I thank my honourable friend for the question. I can report to the House that Australia and Australians are making real progress when it comes to climate action. Today, we've seen the release of Australia's emission data, showing a reduction in Australia's emissions, in the year to March, of 6½ million tons in every sector apart from transport. That is Australia and Australians getting on with the job. Australians are also getting on with the job of installing cheaper home batteries. I'm pleased to report to the House that, as of today, 36,592 Australian households have installed a cheaper home battery under the Albanese government's policy.”
“The quarterly wholesale prices rose, yes. They did. That's what the report says. Thanks for noticing. Now, the honourable member has very clearly asked me about wholesale energy prices, and, yes, over the quarter they rose. Compared to those at the time of the election, though, they are substantially lower. In New South Wales, the wholesale price was $320.48. The current figure is $127.72.”
“The member for New England is whispering an interjection to me which I'm not sure is entirely parliamentary, but he might want to be more complimentary to the Morrison-Joyce government, because the modelling I just quoted was from the Morrison-Joyce government's The plan to deliver net zero: the Australian way”
“The good households of Canning are embracing net zero, cheaper home batteries and renewable energy at a rapid pace, and that comes as little surprise, because the people of Canning know that, if you take up a battery, together with solar, under the Albanese government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program, you can save $2,300 each and every year—a permanent bill reduction which is eerily similar to the benefits for all Australians of net zero. We know that economic modelling shows that net zero will make every single Australian household $2,000 better off.”
“I thank my honourable friend for the question, and I am glad that he has asked me about policies that are in the best interests of households and the country and his great state of Western Australia. I can again confirm that, over the last 24 hours, another 1,000 Australian households have taken up the Albanese Labor governments Cheaper Home Batteries Program, bringing the total to 18,336. But I'm sorry to tell the member for Tangney that his electorate in Western Australia has the second-highest take-up in Western Australia of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, which isn't bad, but it's not as good as that of the member for Canning, whose electorate has the highest take-up of the batteries program in all of Western Australia.”
“The CSIRO has found that renewables, including costs associated with additional storage and transmission, remain the lowest cost, lowest build technology.”
“Or the Australian Energy Market Operator, who said: … the … ISP confirms that renewable energy, connected by transmission and distribution, firmed with storage and backed up by gas-powered generation, is the lowest-cost way to supply electricity to homes and businesses as Australia transitions to a net zero economy. And do you know what is interesting about renewable energy, backed by gas peaking, backed by storage? That's exactly the plan of the Albanese government; that's exactly the plan that we are implementing, a plan recommended and designed by Australian experts for Australian conditions. That's exactly what we are going about delivering. If the honourable member wants to know about expert reports, I'm happy to keep going.”
“Of course, there are multiple reports out today from our energy regulators, including the one the member refers to. But the figures I was referring to were comparing energy prices today compared to election day, which is what I was asked. I apologise for using the frame that was put to me by the Leader of the Opposition. That was what I was asked to compare, and that's what I did. There are a number of reports out today, and if the honourable member wants to ask me about reports, I'm happy to refer to them, like the Australian Market Commission, which said: … residential electricity prices in the National Electricity Market (NEM) could be around 13% lower in ten years' time if renewable energy and infrastructure development proceed as expected.”
“I thank the honourable member for his first question in the House. What the honourable member would be well advised to let Christine know is why his party voted three times against energy bill relief for her. That would be a useful thing for the honourable gentleman to communicate to Christine. We say to Christine: we know that your energy bill is high. That's why we worked so hard to bring it down; that's why we worked so hard on three rounds of energy bill relief; that's why we've worked so hard on energy market reform—so that Christine and everyone like her gets a fairer go in the energy system. That's why we are reforming the default market offer. These are all policies that we worked on in the first term of the Albanese government and are committed to—”
“Just today, AGL announced a multihundred-million dollar investment in energy storage in our country, which is a good thing. All this leads to an addition to the renewable energy pipeline for our country. We think that's a good thing; they think it's a bad thing.”
“I can absolutely confirm it is this government's intention to continue to work towards that target in 2030. Absolutely! And I'm pleased to tell the honourable member that we are making very good progress towards it. It is 2025, we are working towards that 2030 target and we're making good progress. In the last financial year, 4.4 gigawatts of new renewable energy were added to the grid—not investment decisions but gigawatts added to the grid, up and running. But the pipeline was 15.6 gigawatts, which is a massive amount of renewable energy. I know it upsets those opposite to hear those points. Just this week, it was announced there was a billion dollars to be invested in Australia's renewable energy system by a very large international investor. This is good news—at least we think it is on this side of the House.”
“I thank the honourable Leader of the Opposition for the question. It varies from state to state. In New South Wales the average wholesale price today is $127.72. The average at the election was $320.48. In Queensland the average today is $107.39. The average on election day was $347.28. In South Australia the average today is $185.27. The average on election day was $312.30.”
“I thank the honourable member for the question and congratulate her on her first question in this House. The honourable member—it's her first term, so she wouldn't have been here when the member for Hume hid an energy price rise before the 2022 election. Perhaps that's why the honourable member got the job, because it's a difficult job. I congratulate the opposition, too, for their temerity on asking about energy matters this week, given the chaos we've seen from honourable members opposite. But the fact of the matter is, on these matters, under this government, we not only have policy but have transparency. When we have difficult figures, we don't change the law to hide them like the member for Hume did just before the 2022 federal election, which should disqualify him from ministerial office forever!”
“I thank the honourable member for her question, and I say to the honourable member, as I'd say to the Climate Council, the way to reduce fossil fuel use is to build renewable energy. You can't wish away fossil fuels. You can't have a plan to reduce fossil fuel use in Australia or overseas unless you have a plan to build renewable energy. That's what we're doing at home and that's what we're doing abroad. Just yesterday, I announced the expansion of the Capacity Investment Scheme of eight gigawatts. This is no small thing. Those opposite—”
“That's why I'm pleased to inform the House and the honourable member that in the last four weeks 17,324 Australian households have installed batteries. Do you know where most of those have been? The outer suburbs and the regions of Australia, like the one represented by the honourable member—a policy he opposed! This was the choice that the Australian people cast judgement on 3 May.”
“The average energy bill today is 6.2 per cent cheaper than it was last year. That's the fact. As I said before, those opposite asked these questions last term, which was fair game, and we answered those questions, and then we took a plan to the Australian people on 3 May. Those opposite took a different plan, and the Australian people cast judgement on those plans. This side of the House said we will keep going with a plan to produce the cheapest form of energy. That's what we said in 2022; that's what the honourable member refers to. Then we repeated that in 2025. We said we will build on that success, and then we said we recognise there is so much more to do. That's why we said we'd also help with cheaper home batteries.”
“The honourable member refers to modelling done in 2021, which we took to the Australian people in 2022. The Australian people also had a chance to have their say in 2025 on the matter of competing plans for energy prices. We accept that judgement of the people. We accept it modestly—the Australian people's judgement on 3 May. Perhaps the Australian people looked at the fact that energy prices have fallen, as I just said, by 6.2 per cent in the year just gone. They would know that that wasn't inevitable. Prices would have been 16.6 per cent higher if the honourable member had had his way and energy bill relief had not applied. That was a key difference. They also know that the opposition went to the election with a very significant plan. We've always recognised that as a very significant plan on energy.”
“I thank the honourable member for the question. I'm a little surprised he didn't reference today's CPI figures. But perhaps I shouldn't be, because it shows energy prices are down 6.2 per cent on the year. Perhaps that's an explanation. Or perhaps another explanation is that it is in no small part due to the government's energy bill relief, which the honourable member opposed. That's another possible explanation for why he missed that fact, although he did reference $1,300, which is roughly the amount you can save by installing a cheaper home battery under the Albanese government's policy. So I thank the honourable member for the plug.”
“I say to honourable members, as I've said elsewhere, it's very important that a target be able to be achieved. It is not a useful contribution to the debate to set a target without outlining how the country can actually achieve that target. Yes, ambition is very important, but so is achievability. Both those measures will be reflected in the target that the government announces, following the receipt of the Climate Change Authority advice, which we have not yet received. We will follow the rigorous process outlined in the Climate Change Act.”
“On behalf of the government, I thank the honourable member for her question. Her position is very well-established, and the crossbench have been very strong in their views. In this government, we set our targets following a very rigorous process, which is outlined by the Climate Change Act, which, to be fair, members on the crossbench voted for. The Climate Change Act outlines world's best practice for setting a target: the government receives advice from the Climate Change Authority, considers it, considers the economic impact, considers the science, considers how that target might be achieved and then announces the target. The UK are taking a very similar approach. The target the government sets will be two things. It will be, importantly, achievable.”
“For nine years, we had the National Energy Guarantee, and we had $3 million for a coal-fired power station which couldn't even deliver a feasibility study. They announced the winner of the feasibility study two days before opening the tender for the feasibility study. That was the sort of approach that those opposite took for nine years. Now, three years later, they are no better. In fact, they are worse. They can't even discuss the pathway to net zero because they can't agree on the destination. It just goes to show you they haven't learnt the lesson from nine years of delay, denial and dysfunction, and they would do it all again.”
“That's what you want—a bit of moral clarity about the big issues facing our country. Asked are they for net zero or against net zero, two are for, two are against and 22 didn't know. Those twos cancelled each other out. It was a net zero impact on the vote from those opposite! That's the sort of impact we see from the leadership and the team opposite. I'm going to do something slightly unusual. I'm going to approvingly quote a member opposite. The member for Lindsay, just before question time, was asked about this, and she said: 'Well, this is groundhog day.' She's a hundred per cent right, because we have seen all this before. Nine years in office and they couldn't land an energy policy with 22 different goes.”
“In fact, those more than 16,000 batteries amount to 280 megawatt-hours of storage in our grid. That's two Hornsdale big batteries that we have added just in the last four weeks. That's good for the grid. That's good for everyone. That puts downward pressure on prices everywhere. The member asked me about alternatives and the need for unity, and of course that's very important. Indeed, both houses are being provided with alternatives at the moment. Last night there was a vote in the Senate. One Nation called on a vote opposing net zero. Now, One Nation voted for that—that was their motion—two coalition senators voted for it, two coalition senators voted against it and 22 coalition senators were outside playing Candy Crush ! They didn't want anything to do with it.”
“Thanks to my honourable friend for the question, and congratulations to her on her resounding re-election. The honourable member asked me about harnessing renewable energy, and that's what Australian households are doing every day, particularly under the Albanese government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program. I think the House might need an update on how that's going. I can tell the member and the House that 16,302 households have now taken up cheaper home batteries in the last four weeks. The policy's been operating four weeks today—16,302 households. And, as the House might have determined by now, that number is increasing by about 1,000 houses a day. That means that those households that are putting on the cheaper home batteries are benefiting, but so is the whole grid and the whole country, because we are building storage.”
“I certainly hear that from farmers and my rural communities. I'm so excited for my rural communities and for the country, and, as a whole for the future, I think that the net zero by 2050 aim is perfect.' The now leader of the opposition said that in 2021. That's what the Leader of the Opposition said in 2021. This is a reminder, when you have these reviews underway: appointing Senator Canavan to review net zero is a bit like putting Coldplay in charge of kiss cam—it doesn't necessarily lead to a happy marriage!”
“Of course we are and so is Australia, because the coalition's No. 1 priority today—we saw it on the Notice Paper ; we saw a big press conference outside—is the member for New England introducing his anti-net-zero bill. Our priority? Cheaper medicines, lower HECS debt. They're priority? Getting rid of net zero! The other thing that's surprising about the member for New England introducing this legislation is he's pre-empted the review. The coalition's having a big review of net zero. The National party's appointed a very thorough independent reviewer in Senator Canavan. Who knows what he might find! He's gotta take submissions. He'll be taking submissions from the regions, presumably. Somebody from the regions said this: 'It's my strong belief that rural and regional Australia has a lot to benefit from the move to net zero.”
“Gilmore has had more batteries installed than any other electorate in New South Wales. But there is some good news for those opposite. In Victoria it is Flinders which has installed more batteries than any other. A big thumbs up from the member for Flinders—thanks for the support of the policy. In Queensland, what electorate in Queensland, remembering we said this policy was for the regions and for the outer suburbs? It's the great electorate of Wright which has introduced more batteries, installed over the last four weeks, than any other. Those well-known woke warriors of Wright, getting behind the government's policies. And I'm sure the member for Wright joins with the member for Flinders in saying this is great policy that's being implemented smoothly. The member asked me: are we being asked to consider any other alternatives?”
“I thank my honourable friend for the question, and we're delighted he's back because he does a great job and he's got a lot more to do for the people of Bean and the people of Australia. The honourable member asked me about progress in implementing our policies, particularly the Cheaper Homes Batteries Program, which turns four weeks old tomorrow. It's been implemented for four weeks tomorrow, and I think the House might like to know how many cheaper home batteries have been installed over those four weeks. The answer is 15,325 over those four weeks. And where are they? I do have some disappointing news for the member for Hume: he's been knocked off the leaderboard. His electorate is no longer leading New South Wales for the number of home batteries; it is now the member for Gilmore's.”
“But here's the kicker: 'repeal the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000'. That was introduced by the woke warrior, John Howard! He goes around art galleries throwing paint at pictures, does John Howard; that's how extreme he is! That is the act that has supported solar panels and now batteries across Australia. That's the act under which I signed the regulation for cheaper home batteries. If that act goes, all the support for solar panels goes and all the cheaper home batteries go out the door. The Leader of the Nationals, during the election campaign, promised they'd do something about batteries; he said, 'It's really important we do something about household batteries.' They never actually did but at least he was in the zone; he had the vibe. We're delivering a policy. Their policy is net zero climate action. (Time expired)”
“Schedule 1, 'Amendments', part 1, says 'repeal the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011'. So all those farmers across Australia who are getting income from carbon credits and carbon funds—that all stops; farmers' income stops. Next is 'repeal the Climate Change Act 2022'; I guess we expected that one! Next is 'repeal the Future Made in Australia (Guarantee of Origin) Act'—well, you wouldn't want things made in Australia, would you; that'd be a terrible thing! Next is 'repeal the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007'—so not only do the coalition not want us to reduce emissions; they want to stop measuring them. Next is 'repeal the Net Zero Economy Authority Act'—that's the organisation which creates jobs in the region, so they're against that.”
“If you install solar panels and batteries together, that can cut your bill by $2,300 a year for a typical family—which, of course, is 90 per cent of the bill for an average typical family. This is a good thing. The honourable member asked me if we are being asked to consider any alternatives. Indeed, the whole House is being asked to consider alternatives. In fact, next week the member for New England is going to introduce his anti-net zero bill on behalf of the coalition. I received a copy of the bill yesterday through unusual channels; they're leaking like a sieve over there! It's the Repeal Net Zero Bill 2025—fair enough! But, when you look at it, it actually goes a lot further than that. The House will be interested to know what it's going to be asked to vote on by the coalition.”
“I thank my honourable friend for her question. I enjoyed campaigning with her in the beautiful suburb of Travancore, where we were campaigning on cheaper home batteries. The honourable member asked me how we're delivering. We're delivering on the cheaper-home-batteries policy that she and I, and everyone on this side of the House, sought a mandate to deliver. Yesterday I told the House that just over 11,000 households across the country had installed batteries under the cheaper-home-batteries policy. It's moving so fast I need to provide a daily update to the House; today, I can say that 12,226 households across Australia have installed batteries under the cheaper-home-batteries policy. If you already have solar panels, you can cut your bill by over $1,000.”
“Those people in rural and regional Australia have the most to gain out of the jobs and investment created by net zero. That's what the Albanese government gets; that's what those who would betray rural and regional Australia do not understand. (Time expired)”
“We saw the new dream team, the dream couple—the member for New England and the member for Riverina—out there this morning, backing each other in. The member for Riverina said on the Kieran Gilbert show, 'We're virile, and we're out there.' That's the member for New England and the member for Riverina. Now, this is not his Tinder profile; this is his dream ticket. He's not looking to swipe right; he's looking to swipe out the member for Maranoa. That's what he's trying to do. They're trying to betray the member for Maranoa, but what they're really doing is betraying people in rural and regional Australia, because people in rural and regional Australia are the people who pay the price for drought and floods, which will be more common and more severe under climate change.”
“We designed it for those people in the suburbs and regions, and I'm pleased to share with the House where this policy is being taken up the most. It will be of some interest to the House. Which postcode has taken up the cheaper homes batteries policy the most in all of Australia? It's 2570, Camden, in the electorate of Hume—the electorate which is most embracing of the Albanese government's cheaper home batteries policy, showing that we're getting on with the job. But the member for Brisbane asked us if we're being asked to consider any alternatives, and I'm sorry to say we are. I've been given a copy of the coalition's anti-net-zero bill. I'm not sure if the Leader of the Opposition has seen it, but I have. It came into my possession, and it's going to be moved by the member for New England.”
“This is actually energy that is up and running and connected to the system today, and that is a good thing. We're also getting on with the job of delivering our cheaper home batteries policy, which we sought a mandate from the Australian people for. As the Prime Minister said before, we didn't wait for parliament to sit; this came into force on 1 July. I'm happy to give the House an update that today, three weeks after it came into force—an update even from yesterday for the House—11,045 households across Australia have taken advantage of the cheaper home batteries policy, saving on their energy bills and reducing their emissions. This is a policy we designed for the suburbs and regions of Australia.”
“I thank my honourable friend for the question, and I enjoyed campaigning with her during the election campaign on multiple occasions. I said before the election that she'd be a wonderful member of parliament, and I say after the election that she's a very welcome member of parliament in this House. On 3 May the Australian people gave the Albanese government a clear instruction to keep on going with the task of building a better energy system for our country, and that's exactly what we intend to do. I'm pleased that, overnight, we saw new figures showing that the financial year just ended was a record for renewable energy investment, double the financial year before. There were more than four gigawatts of new renewable energy connected.”
“The Leader of the Opposition calls all these things wasteful spending; we know he'll cut them to favour his nuclear fantasy.”
“If the shadow Treasurer's doesn't know how much it costs, the Australian people are entitled to conclude it's a big risk that those costs will be paid for by cuts—cuts to health and cuts to education. That's because the only cuts the Leader of the Opposition doesn't like are tax cuts. He tried $50 billion of cuts when he was the Minister for Health. We know the opposition came out and said they did not support the Albanese government's education funding model finally delivering on 15 years of work to ensure that every Australian student, regardless of whether they are in the electorate of Lingiari or the electorate of North Sydney, has access to the same support from the Australian government. We think that's a good thing.”
“He was asked recently at the AFR Business Summit. This hasn't had as much attention as the Insiders interview, I have to allow, so I feel obliged to correct that. He was asked at the AFR Business Summit by Phil Coorey, a distinguished Australian journalist. It's controversial, but I will stand by it! The question to Angus Taylor was: 'Labor has said it's $600 billion. I think your own modelling says it's $331 billion for the build and operating costs.' Angus Taylor said, 'Both those numbers are nonsense.' Phil Coorey said: 'It's your own modelling—$331 billion.' Angus Taylor laughed. His only response when caught out not knowing that his own modelling said that was the cost was to laugh. He couldn't give an answer to the question. Well, I will help the shadow Treasurer out: $600 billion of taxpayers' money must be paid for.”
“On the tax cuts, when taken in total, the three rounds of Albanese government tax cuts are more than $2,000 a year in tax relief for the average Australian taxpayer. That is not a small amount of money. It's important relief for Australians when taken as a whole. The member for Lingiari asks me if there are any risks to this relief. I am happy to be asked about relief and risks and alternative policies. Not everyone is happy to talk about the alternative policies. Those opposite don't like talking about it very much at all. One person in particular doesn't like being asked about the alternatives, and that's our friend the member for Hume, the shadow Treasurer. We know he was on Insiders on the weekend. He was asked about the cost of their nuclear policy. But that's not the only place he's been asked that recently.”