Andrew Bolt: Labor’s $300 power bill handout is just a muddy-the-water comeback line

Why did the Albanese government give this budget power bill handout to everyone, from paupers to billionaires who would spend $300 on a wine and call it cheap?

If you can’t guess the answer, Labor wins. Guess why the Albanese government decided to give you $300 off your power bill?

Note: not $250. And certainly not $500, which might actually mean something, but would have dug Tuesday’s budget even deeper into deficits.

No, $300.

And a related question, which – again – Labor would hate you to work out.

Why did the government give this $300 budget handout to everyone, from paupers to billionaires, who would spend $300 on a wine and call it cheap?

You’ve got it. It’s a $3.5bn stunt to give Labor a muddy-the-water comeback line at the next election, possibly this year.

Of course, the handout had to be $300. It had to be just above $275 – the cut to your bills that the government promised at the last election.

I know, average bills have in fact shot up by as much as triple that $300 rebate. The Liberals plan to hang that broken promise around Labor’s neck, come the election.

But at least Labor can now play a debating trick.

Liberals: You promised to cut electricity bills by $275!

Labor MP: But we’ve just cut bills by more! $300!

Liberals: Yes, but … etc.

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he was giving this rebate to cut power bills and ease the ‘cost of living’ pain. Picture: NCA NewsWire

And this $300 had to be given to absolutely everyone, even Malcolm Turnbull and James Packer, because the $275 promise was made to everyone, too.

I wish that was the only trickery to this payment.

But there’s more. And worse.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he was giving this rebate to cut power bills and ease the “cost of living” pain.

But there are two ways to cut the extraordinary price of electricity under Labor, and only one is honest and lasting.

Final question: pick which.

One way is to actually cut the price rises of electricity by cancelling the rush to kill coal-fired power stations, scrapping the ban on nuclear power, and ending the green tape and bank lending restrictions now strangling investment in coal and gas projects. It wouldn’t cost taxpayers a cent, and would keep down costs for years.

The other way is – spoiler alert! – what Chalmers chose: to keep Labor’s disastrous war against coal and gas, but hide the consequences for just the election campaign by giving this once-only $300 rebate – and paying you this compensation with your own taxes to fool you into thinking you’re better off.

How did you score? Three correct answers? You’re more awake than Labor hoped.