Labor backflips on plan to lower the price of energy by $275

Mr HAWKE (Mitchell) (13:53): At the last election, on a hundred occasions, the Labor party committed to the Australian public that they had a plan to lower the price of energy by $275. It wasn't a theory. It wasn't something they did off the back of an envelope. They said they had a plan, they had modelling, they had an intention and they would, if they were elected by Australians, lower the price of everyone's bill by $275. Every member of the shadow team made that commitment. Every senior Labor Party figure announced it over and over and over: 'We will lower the price of bills.' Indeed, it was a cost-of-living election and, indeed, the Labor Party were successful at that election.

When it gets into government, the first opportunity that a government has to change its policy is its budget. Then, of course, we heard yesterday—or we didn't hear yesterday, according to the Treasurer—the question, 'Where is it in the budget papers—your plan to lower the price of energy by $275?' Not only did he not hear the question and get the answer wrong; he got the answer right. It is not in the budget papers. If you don't have your plan to lower the price of energy by $275 in your budget papers, you don't have a plan. If you don't have a plan, you've made a false commitment to the Australian people. As the Australian public now know, the cost of living is the No. 1 issue. Fifty per cent power price rises mean that every good and service goes up. Where is your commitment, Anthony Albanese? Two hundred and seventy-five dollars would go a long way for every family and business, and we ask you to commit to your plan.