Jim Chalmers won’t say sorry for $275 power bill fail, Angus Taylor denies hiding power price rise

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has refused to say sorry for Labor’s failure to deliver a promised $275 energy bill saving, as Angus Taylor denied hiding power price rises.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has refused to say sorry for Labor’s failure to deliver a promised $275 energy bill saving, as his opposition counterpart Angus Taylor denied hiding power price rises when the Coalition was last in government.

The two men vying to be the federal treasurer after the May 3 election agreed Australia’s economy was facing “uncertain” times, but that was about where their similarities ended during what was a fiery Sky News Treasurers’ Debate on Wednesday night.

Both Mr Chalmers and Mr Taylor dodged questions about what they would cut to save money if Australia experienced an economic downturn amid a global crisis fuelled by US tariffs.

The discussion frequently descended into petty jabs, with Mr Chalmers criticising Mr Taylor for asking him to apologise for rising living costs after the question had already been put to him, and at one point telling his opponent “you’ve literally just made those numbers up” when under attack for rising energy, grocery and insurance prices.

Though asked twice, Mr Chalmers did not say sorry to Australians for failing to deliver a $275 saving to households on their electricity bill.

Jim Chalmers v Angus Taylor at the Sky News Treasurers’ Debate. Picture: Sky News,

Meanwhile, Mr Taylor denied he had delayed the release of energy price rises in his final days as energy minister in 2022, ensuring Labor had to deliver the bad news.

Throughout the debate, the pair often strayed from the topics they were asked about in favour of issues they wanted to speak on, talking over each other as they fought to make their points.

Mr Taylor used a question about budget savings to talk about the need to encourage more private sector investment, while Mr Chalmers pivoted from an interrogation of Labor’s $20bn pledge to slash 20 per cent off student debt, to accuse the Coalition of planning secret cuts.

The two clashed over cost of living assistance, with Mr Chalmers claiming Australians struggling to make ends meet would get relief from Labor in an “enduring way” through tax cuts, and “immediate way” through $150 energy bill relief.

Jim Chalmers v Angus Taylor at the Sky News Treasurers’ Debate. Picture: Sky News,

Mr Taylor said voters would save quickly under the Coalition under a 25 cents a litre cut to fuel for 12 months, and also longer term under the opposition’s plan to create a domestic gas reserve.

They each also pitched themselves as the better person for Australians to trust to manage the economy, which Mr Taylor said the Coalition was best placed to do in “uncertain, tumultuous times”.

Mr Chalmers said despite the global uncertainty, Australia was well placed and prepared because soaring inflation had “come down,” real wages grown and unemployment was low under Labor.

“All of this puts us in good stead in uncertain times, but we know that there’s much more work to do, because we do understand that people are still under pressure,” he said.

Originally published as Jim Chalmers won’t say sorry for $275 power bill fail, Angus Taylor denies hiding power price rise