❓ Mr Bull asks about energy bill relief. The Minister outlines cost-of-living measures, renewable energy investments, and criticises the opposition's energy policies.
AnsweredQoN 265Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Cost-of-living relief—Energy prices
265. Mr Dan Bull to the Minister for Energy and Decarbonisation:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to delivering meaningful cost-of-living relief
for Western Australians.
(1) Can the minister please outline to
the house how the Cook Labor government is delivering energy bill relief for
Western Australian households?
(2) Is the minister aware of policies
that would increase energy prices for Western Australians?
265. Mr Dan Bull to the Minister for Energy and Decarbonisation:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to delivering meaningful cost-of-living relief
for Western Australians.
(1) Can the minister please outline to
the house how the Cook Labor government is delivering energy bill relief for
Western Australian households?
(2) Is the minister aware of policies
that would increase energy prices for Western Australians?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for Maylands for the
question. I am a bit distracted by the baroness—apologies. I look forward to
that later.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Some things you can't unsee.
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: That is correct; there are
some things that cannot be unseen. Anyway, I am sure the Treasurer will share that
with the rest of the chamber later.
This budget alone
includes over a billion dollars' worth of cost-of-living relief for Western
Australians. The basket of household fees and charges will be reduced overall
by 3.3% in 2026–27. In our seventh consecutive year of keeping
household fees and charges well below inflation, we are also investing in
targeted energy bill relief to support households and families with their
energy bills. The energy assistance payment, dependent child rebate and air-conditioning
allowance are increasing by 10%; we are extending the Energy Ahead program,
which has assisted more than 6,000 low-income households and families to bring
down their energy bills; we are continuing our nation-leading Residential
Battery Scheme, a $337 million investment supporting households and low-income
households to access technology that will cut their bills for the long term—genuine
and meaningful cost-of-living relief; and our plan to exit state coal by 2030
and bring large-scale renewables into the system will put downward pressure on
household and industry prices.
We know that our
record investment in renewable energy will connect households to cheaper,
cleaner renewable energy and connect our grid. We are investing $1.4 billion in
this budget for the next stage of the Clean Energy Fund to support Clean Energy
Link–East. Once complete, that will support around a million households to
connect to cheaper, cleaner renewable energy, and support industry to expand by
accessing that cheaper, cleaner renewable energy. It has been independently
verified that renewable energy is the cheapest form of generation. One would
think that the Liberal Party's plan would be to expand that on the grid to make
sure there is more of that cheaper generation on the system to bring down
pressure on households. We know that the Liberal Party has no credibility in
energy policy. It has demonstrated that over and over in Western Australia. In
2021—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: Let us talk about shutting
down coal. In 2021, the Liberal Party announced that it would shut down coal by
2025.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: It was going to shut down coal by 2025. That was the last year, members, that
the Liberal Party would have shut down coal by. That irresponsible and
unrealistic move would have created chaos across the system. Now the opposition
wants to have it both ways. It now says that it will keep coal until—it does
not know! It will keep coal in the system, even though those assets are at the
end of their life, with no plan to put large—
Mr Basil Zempilas: How much are you spending on
them?
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: The funding that is spent on
maintenance of the coal-fired power stations demonstrates that they are at the
end of their life and expensive to run. It is coal and gas, and coal in
particular, that is actually—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: Those expensive and ageing
assets are driving up the power prices. That is the economics of it. That is
what is driving them up. The other side wants to keep them running. It wants to
keep pouring money into expensive and—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, please stop
interjecting. Keep going, minister.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr David Scaife interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Cockburn!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: The opposition also tried to
privatise Western Power to fund school infrastructure and fix its budget issues.
That is a key government trading enterprise. It is a key organisation that is
driving the transition across WA. That is how we will protect industry and
households from increases in tariffs and power bill increases. The Liberal
Party's plan would cause investment chaos and drive jobs out of Western
Australia. It has no plan for the energy system. We know that under the Liberal
Party, energy prices would go up because it would rely on the most expensive
form of generation. It cannot be trusted with our energy system. It cannot be trusted
with our economy. We know that the Liberal Party would drive energy prices for
households and industry through the roof.
question. I am a bit distracted by the baroness—apologies. I look forward to
that later.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Some things you can't unsee.
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: That is correct; there are
some things that cannot be unseen. Anyway, I am sure the Treasurer will share that
with the rest of the chamber later.
This budget alone
includes over a billion dollars' worth of cost-of-living relief for Western
Australians. The basket of household fees and charges will be reduced overall
by 3.3% in 2026–27. In our seventh consecutive year of keeping
household fees and charges well below inflation, we are also investing in
targeted energy bill relief to support households and families with their
energy bills. The energy assistance payment, dependent child rebate and air-conditioning
allowance are increasing by 10%; we are extending the Energy Ahead program,
which has assisted more than 6,000 low-income households and families to bring
down their energy bills; we are continuing our nation-leading Residential
Battery Scheme, a $337 million investment supporting households and low-income
households to access technology that will cut their bills for the long term—genuine
and meaningful cost-of-living relief; and our plan to exit state coal by 2030
and bring large-scale renewables into the system will put downward pressure on
household and industry prices.
We know that our
record investment in renewable energy will connect households to cheaper,
cleaner renewable energy and connect our grid. We are investing $1.4 billion in
this budget for the next stage of the Clean Energy Fund to support Clean Energy
Link–East. Once complete, that will support around a million households to
connect to cheaper, cleaner renewable energy, and support industry to expand by
accessing that cheaper, cleaner renewable energy. It has been independently
verified that renewable energy is the cheapest form of generation. One would
think that the Liberal Party's plan would be to expand that on the grid to make
sure there is more of that cheaper generation on the system to bring down
pressure on households. We know that the Liberal Party has no credibility in
energy policy. It has demonstrated that over and over in Western Australia. In
2021—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: Let us talk about shutting
down coal. In 2021, the Liberal Party announced that it would shut down coal by
2025.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: It was going to shut down coal by 2025. That was the last year, members, that
the Liberal Party would have shut down coal by. That irresponsible and
unrealistic move would have created chaos across the system. Now the opposition
wants to have it both ways. It now says that it will keep coal until—it does
not know! It will keep coal in the system, even though those assets are at the
end of their life, with no plan to put large—
Mr Basil Zempilas: How much are you spending on
them?
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: The funding that is spent on
maintenance of the coal-fired power stations demonstrates that they are at the
end of their life and expensive to run. It is coal and gas, and coal in
particular, that is actually—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: Those expensive and ageing
assets are driving up the power prices. That is the economics of it. That is
what is driving them up. The other side wants to keep them running. It wants to
keep pouring money into expensive and—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, please stop
interjecting. Keep going, minister.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr David Scaife interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Cockburn!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson: The opposition also tried to
privatise Western Power to fund school infrastructure and fix its budget issues.
That is a key government trading enterprise. It is a key organisation that is
driving the transition across WA. That is how we will protect industry and
households from increases in tariffs and power bill increases. The Liberal
Party's plan would cause investment chaos and drive jobs out of Western
Australia. It has no plan for the energy system. We know that under the Liberal
Party, energy prices would go up because it would rely on the most expensive
form of generation. It cannot be trusted with our energy system. It cannot be trusted
with our economy. We know that the Liberal Party would drive energy prices for
households and industry through the roof.
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