Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has defended Albanese government action on power prices ahead of a $300 energy bill rebate coming into effect.
From Monday, all households will benefit from the government support which will be delivered in the form of a credit applied to electricity bills automatically.
At a press conference in Sydney on Saturday, Mr Bowen was asked whether the rebate showed the government’s plan to bring down electricity prices was not working.
“Absolutely not,” Mr Bowen replied while in Bexley North to launch the latest community battery.
“It shows that we are providing real cost-of-living relief from Monday for every Australian with an energy bill in the face of the biggest energy crisis the world’s seen since the early 1970s around the world.
“Now we know that renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy. We also know that it takes some time to roll it out and time for it to be setting the energy prices more often.
“But this is practical support now to support and complement our rollout of the cheapest form of energy, which is renewables.”
About a million small businesses will also be given a $325 electricity bill credit next financial year as part of the $3.5 billion relief scheme which was one of the centrepiece cost-of-living announcements in the May federal budget.
Since the 2022 Federal Election, the Coalition has repeatedly criticised the government for not delivering on a promise to cut energy prices by $275.
The opposition stuck the boot in again last week as it sought to win over Australians as part of its push for the nation to add nuclear energy into the mix.
“Right now, in households and businesses around the country, Labor’s expensive renewables-only approach is failing,” a joint statement from Peter Dutton, David Littleproud and Ted O’Brien said.
“The government is now talking about a 65 to 75 per cent emissions reduction target by 2035, but won’t release modelling and won’t tell us how much higher power prices will go up.
“Power bills have already increased by up to $1,000 for many Australians, when they were promised a $275 cut.”
Mr Bowen was not the only Labor politician out on Saturday spruiking the $300 energy bill rebate, which comes in at the same time as the government’s “cost-of-living tax cuts”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also talked up both measures while out at a plant growing business in Melbourne’s south-east.
“Wonderful to meet the owners and workers here today and talk about the difference our tax cuts and power bill relief will make for them,” a social media post said.