Energy Minister Chris Bowen says renewables will lead to cheaper power bills
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has insisted renewables will cut power bills despite his Coalition counterpart saying energy costs would rise whoever was in government.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has doubled down on the government’s commitment to renewable energy, saying power prices will be lower because of the investment.
Just hours after Deputy Liberal leader Ted O’Brien told the National Press Club on Wednesday that energy bills would rise regardless of whether Labor or the Coalition was running the country, Mr Bowen fronted ABC TV’s 7.30 program.
He acknowledged that the cost of building needed new transmission lines was expensive, but said the government’s renewables policy was “still the right call” for Australia,.
“Is this giant, ambitious renewables project going to make our bills cheaper or not?” presenter Sarah Ferguson asked the minister.
“Because renewables is our cheapest form of energy, even including transmission, the answer to that is yes.”
He said October was the first month in Australian history that half of the nation’s electricity came from renewables “and that’s coinciding with a tumbling of wholesale prices”.
“That’s no coincidence because renewables are the cheapest form of energy,” Mr Bowen said.
“But of course, I understand that, as we speak, Australians sitting around their dinner table haven’t seen that yet reflected in their bills.
“What we are doing – we can do, will do – is point to all the effects that renewables are the cheapest form of energy,” he said.
“The faster and better we get that renewable energy rolled out, the cheaper bills will be.”
Earlier, with both sides promising lower power prices for years, the shadow treasurer was asked if it was not “time for a bit of honesty” that power bills were going up “regardless of who is in government”.
“Thank you, and I think you are right,” Mr O’Brien responded, adding that it was about who Australians trusted more to slap downward pressure on electricity costs.
“Trust has been eroding in governments, and when it comes to … energy, two elections ago now we had Albanese’s Labor Party promising a $275 reduction in household power bills,” he said.
“That was a promise, it was broken.”
He could not say how the Coalition’s abandonment of Australia’s net-zero emissions target would drive down power bills.
Instead, he asked Australians to “trust our record”.
“On one hand, I would say trust our record, but also, I would be saying what you have seen within a six-month period is the release of a detailed energy plan that will guarantee affordable energy and certainly far cheaper than anything the Labor Party will deliver” Mr O’Brien said.
“Look at the scoreboard and look at the record.
“Over the last term of the Coalition government alone, energy prices came down by 10 per cent, emissions also came down.”
In his speech, Mr O’Brien took broad swipes at the government and Treasurer Jim Chalmers – from a lack of rules controlling public spending to sticky inflation. But he skimped on what he would do differently.,
Mr Chalmers held a press conference during Mr O’Brien’s address to take questions on inflation data.
He was asked about the continuation of energy rebates, which have somewhat dulled the pain of climbing prices.
“They’re a really important part of our budget, but they’re not a permanent feature of our budget, and we’ve made that clear,” he said.
He added that a decision would be made next month.
Originally published as Energy Minister Chris Bowen says renewables will lead to cheaper power bills
