Liberal MP asks if power bills have \u2018ruined Christmas\u2019<\/p>\n
Liberal MP Melissa Price takes the next opposition question, and asks if Chris Bowen has \u201cruined Christmas\u201d by not being able to deliver Labor\u2019s once promised $275 energy bill reduction.<\/p>\n
She quotes the Vinnies CEO who says: \u201cThe demand for our support services particularly for emergency assistance is greater than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bowen says he agrees with the Vinnies CEO and concedes again that energy bills are currently too high.<\/p>\n
He says the government is \u201cdelivering\u201d and plugs the cheaper home battery scheme.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m pleased to tell the House that 15,825 West Australian families have installed a cheaper home battery since July 1. Reducing bills to zero or get a rebate instead of a bill, getting money in their bank account, rather than getting a bill.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.30 EST<\/p>\n Does Labor want to increase or reduce house prices?<\/p>\n Are the government\u2019s housing policies aiming to increase, plateau or reduce house prices, asks independent Kate Chaney, who says young Australians are getting locked out of buying a home.<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese won\u2019t answer that question directly, but says it\u2019s about \u201csupply\u201d that the government is building more homes, more social and affordable homes, and introducing shared equity scheme programs.<\/p>\n What we\u2019re doing, the member for Curtin, is increasing that supply. We want to provide more social and public housing, point number one. That\u2019s what we\u2019re doing through our Housing Australia Future Fund \u2026 in addition to that we\u2019re trying to provide more private rentals and doing that through our build to rent incentive as well.<\/p>\n He also sneaks a dig at the \u201cNo-alition\u201d again \u2013 which Milton Dick tells him not to say, because he\u2019s previously ruled that the Coalition should not be referred to by that name.<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese in the House of Representatives this afternoon. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.28 EST<\/p>\n LNP MP\u2019s Cop question shut down by Albanese<\/p>\n The LNP MP David Batt takes the next question from the opposition, asking Chris Bowen how many meetings of the national security committee of cabinet he will miss due to his \u201cfull-time job as president of Cop negotiations?\u201d (The committee deals with energy security issues.)<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese takes the question and gives us a very quick answer.<\/p>\n It\u2019s actually a breach of the law to talk about what happened at the national security committee.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.24 EST<\/p>\n Resources minister quizzed on Gladstone LNG project<\/p>\n Independent Sophie Scamps asks resources minister Madeleine King if Santos\u2019 Gladstone LNG project \u2013 which signed an export contract \u201cdespite not having sufficient gas reserves, forcing gas to be diverted from the domestic market\u201d \u2013 will not be extended by the government when it expires in 2031, as recommended by the ACCC.<\/p>\n On the contract itself, King says whatever arrangements occur at that time \u201cwill meet the obligations and requirements\u201d under Australian law.<\/p>\n More broadly she says the government is reviewing the regulatory mechanisms around the gas industry, and adds that the experts are important diplomatically.<\/p>\n Australia will remain a reliable trading partner, supporting energy security in countries like Japan, Singapore, Malaysia but of course the Republic of Korea as well.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.21 EST<\/p>\n Albanese hits back at Ley\u2019s criticism on economy and living standards<\/p>\n Opposition leader Sussan Ley is back at the dispatch box and says the PM has \u201cdelivered the largest decline in living standards in the developed world, lower productivity, more debt, higher inflation and \u2026 the real prospect of higher interest rates.\u201d<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese hits that question right back and says the government has \u201creduced debt\u201d and reduced interest paid on debt.<\/p>\n Our economy is growing. Very unusually, across the developed world, we have had zero quarters of negative growth. Inflation is down to half of what it was under those opposite. Interest rates have come down three times this year.<\/p>\n He then lists off the government\u2019s key commitments on medicare, Tafe and childcare spending.<\/p>\n Sussan Ley speaks during question time today. Photograph: Lukas Coch\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.12 EST<\/p>\n Tony Burke pressed on Nauru deal<\/p>\n Like David Shoebridge in the Senate, the independent Monique Ryan is asking home affairs minister Tony Burke why the signed a $2.5bn deal with Nauru<\/a> when \u201callegations of corruption have been made against multiple members of the Nauru government and it\u2019s been reported that Australian bikie gangs have won contracts to manage security on Nauru\u201d.<\/p>\n Is it your position that the opaqueness, wastefulness and cruelty of these arrangements reflects well on this country?<\/p>\n Burke says that he trusts the Nauruan government is dealing appropriately with the issue.<\/p>\n When I last met with the president of Nauru, who I have dealt with since 2013 when I was previously immigration minister, the various allegations were taken seriously by him and I trust that the government of Nauru is dealing with that.<\/p>\n He then defends Australia\u2019s offshore detention regime, and says that the people in question who have been sent to Nauru have committed \u201cserious crimes\u201d.<\/p>\n When they have their visa cancelled it has to have meaning. If we can\u2019t return them to their country of origin them I am grateful that the government of Nauru has given us a pathway for the third country resettlement arrangements.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.03 EST<\/p>\n Watch: Barnaby Joyce announces he is quitting Nationals<\/p>\n If you missed the big news earlier \u2013 or wanted to see the whole 90 second speech \u2013 here was Barnaby Joyce announcing he is leaving the Nationals, just before question time.<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.44 EST<\/p>\n \u2018If you can\u2019t support free electricity, what can you support?\u2019<\/p>\n Shadow energy minister Dan Tehan gets a crack at Chris Bowen next, and says that despite Bowen describing himself as \u201cfocused like a laser\u201d on energy bills, Australians still don\u2019t have their promised $275 energy bill reduction.<\/p>\n Bowen agrees that \u201cenergy bills are too high\u201d.<\/p>\n He then takes aim at the Coalition for criticising the government\u2019s energy bill rebates and opposing the \u201csolar sharer<\/a>\u201d program that would give households around three hours of free electricity during the day.<\/p>\n You have to be pretty negative to oppose free electricity in the middle of the day but they find a way. They of oppose the right to Australians having free electricity. That\u2019s how negative those opposite have become \u2026 We get it, we know it\u2019s tough but at least find something you can support \u2013 if you can\u2019t support free electricity what can you support?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.46 EST<\/p>\n Penny Wong asked about $2.5bn Nauru resettlement deal amid corruption allegations Over in Senate question time, the Greens senator David Shoebridge is asking the federal government why it signed a $2.5bn deal with Nauru after its financial intelligence agency warned them<\/a> of money laundering and corruption allegations against some of its senior politicians three years earlier, including its current president.<\/p>\n The allegations against Nauru\u2019s president, David Adeang, former president, Lionel Aingiema, and other politically connected figures were contained within a classified Austrac report and aired in parliament earlier this week.<\/p>\n The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said the agreement was negotiated by the home affairs minister and his department \u2013 not within her portfolio \u2013 but added:<\/p>\n We have zero tolerance for corruption, but unlike you, senator, I will not comment on the contents or nature of classified Austrac reporting.<\/p>\n Shoebridge attempts to ask again but doesn\u2019t get much further. Wong explains the Albanese government understands taxpayer expectations and public funds are used in line with that.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.58 EST<\/p>\n Bowen asked about energy prices<\/p>\n Nationals MP Jamie Chaffey puts the heat back on to Bowen, asking if the \u201cminister who works part-time\u201d will apologise to Australians for not meeting Labor\u2019s promised $275 reduction in energy bills.<\/p>\n Bowen reads a bunch of figures off a page, comparing wholesale energy costs between May 2022 and now \u2013 and takes aim at former energy minister Angus Taylor for hiding energy costs before the 2022 election<\/a>.<\/p>\n And the wholesale price of electricity in New South Wales in May 2022 was $320 a megawatt hour. For this quarter it is $90 a megawatt hour.<\/p>\n 5.7 gigawatts of renewables, 1GW of large scale storage and 1GW of firming gas has been added in New South Wales since May 2022, a further 5.4GW of renewables and 1.2GW of storage in NSW have been selected under our capacity investment scheme. That\u2019s delivering. That\u2019s what delivery looks like for the people of NSW.<\/p>\n Chaffey tries to make a point of order on relevance but Milton Dick isn\u2019t having it and says Bowen was directly answering the question which was about price.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.40 EST<\/p>\n Pat Conaghan is booted from the chamber<\/p>\n OMG, it\u2019s our third ejection of this QT!<\/p>\n Liberal MP Jason Wood asks the next question \u2013 asking Chris Bowen what he says to the 200,000 families struggling to pay for their power bills.<\/p>\n As Bowen starts his answer, Nationals MP Pat Conaghan (who was already on a warning by Milton Dick) keeps interjecting and joins Andrew Wallace and Ted O\u2019Brien outside the house. Dick tells everyone to \u201cshow some restraint\u201d \u2013 he\u2019s not feeling very generous today.<\/p>\n Bowen says the previous government had no plans for the ageing coal-fired power stations that had announced they were scheduled to close \u2013 and plugs the capacity investment scheme (which backs renewables projects) and the home battery program the government has implemented.<\/p>\n![\"Barnaby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/6941.jpg\")
Barnaby Joyce announces he’s quitting the National party \u2013 videoShare<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Sarah](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Sarah_Basford_Canales.png\")
Sarah Basford Canales<\/p>\n