Ex-PM Malcolm Turnbull praises State Government’s $100 million home battery scheme

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has praised the State Government’s $100 million home battery scheme, while branding a “significant percentage” of Coalition MPs as climate-change deniers willing to blow up government.

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Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has praised the State Government’s $100 million home battery scheme, while branding a “significant percentage” of Coalition MPs as climate-change deniers willing to blow up government.

His comments came as the Coalition endorsed and then announced its “big stick” laws to stop misconduct by energy retailers and generators.

“Steven Marshall, the SA Premier, is subsidising a battery roll out in homes on quite a large scale. He understands the importance,” Mr Turnbull said.

“I hope that the Liberal Party in due course federally will follow the same approach that the … state government in NSW and SA and Tasmania has done.”

The scheme, available to 40,000 households, subsidises the installation of home batteries for solar systems.

Former PM Malcolm Turnbull addressing the NSW Smart Energy Summit in Sydney on Tuesday. AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

“Everybody has got to open their eyes to the reality renewables are cheaper,” Mr Turnbull said. “There is a significant percentage of the Coalition members that do not believe that climate change is real.

“The people who hold those views, have been as you saw with the national energy guarantee, are prepared to cross the floor, blow up the Government, in order to get their way.”

He said state parties should not be judged on the Federal Government’s “impasse”.

Mr Turnbull denied abandoning the shelved NEG and says he instead urged Prime Minister Scott Morrison to revisit the policy because power prices would remain high without it. Mr Morrison told Parliament that “core components” of the policy remained in place.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Energy Minister Angus Taylor yesterday announced the tough new laws.

Energy retailers found guilty by the consumer watchdog of misconduct – including failure to pass on savings by lowering energy bills and withholding supply – will now face court-ordered penalties.

Several Coalition MPs raised concerns about giving the treasurer the power to impose a Federal Court divestiture order – forcing a company to sell off subsidiary business interests — for misconduct in the wholesale market.

But the Bill, which now requires the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to recommend a punishment from fines to divestiture, was supported.

Opposition energy spokesman Mark Butler said Australians were paying the price for the ongoing chaos and division in the Coalition party room around energy policy.

An Australian Energy Council spokesman said was alarmed at the intention to legislate the interventions that would only increase risk to investors and costs for consumers.

Originally published as Ex-PM Malcolm Turnbull praises State Government’s $100 million home battery scheme