Dr WEBSTER (Mallee) (15:46): I give a shout-out to the member for Dobell, a lovely member in this House who works incredibly hard. I'm not going to be able to agree with everything that the member says, of course, because I have a different view on our side of the House. I note that the member for Dobell spoke quite a bit about medications, Medicare, clinics and mental health. I really want to focus, however, on a health check for the net zero plan of Labor. I think that it is time, after four years, that the coalition asks the questions. How is this really going? We get a lot of spin from the other side of the chamber, especially from the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. I've got to say that the experience in my electorate is nothing like the spin that the minister likes to give every question time.

He won't talk about retail energy prices. There's probably good reason for that. I think so because every Australian family knows, especially in my electorate, that energy prices continue to go up. Choice out in the regions is also another issue that this government is doing nothing about. You might be able to get one teeny tiny gas line, and that's it. You are at the mercy of the company that runs that gas line. The question that was asked many times in question time today was: how's the $275 reduction in energy actually going across Australia? You know what? We never hear about it. It's never actually spoken about by the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. There is no apology for the fact that, in actual fact, energy prices have gone up about $1,300, nowhere near a $275 reduction. There is a 40 per cent increase in power bills. Think about that. We heard from our side of the House today so many examples of people—these are people. It would be really wonderful if this Labor government could pay attention to the fact that these are people's lives that are being impacted by the rising cost of living, the continuing cost of living. They're paying for it. They're paying for it in their own energy bills. For renters, it's worse than anything else. We have the climate change and energy minister constantly talking about home batteries—amazing savings. No renter can afford a home battery, and no pensioner can afford a home battery. Who is paying for those batteries?

Mr Birrell: The taxpayer.

Dr WEBSTER: The taxpayer. Thank you. The member for Nicholls is perfectly right. It is the taxpayer. The taxes of those who are earning not even necessarily great wages are going into paying for this fabulous $2.4 billion scheme for the actual home battery scheme.

What is the cost of net zero? Australians are paying somewhere between $120 billion and $140 billion. The figure is a bit washy—really difficult to know. The fact of the matter is that it's taxpayers who are paying the dollars.

The Capacity Investment Scheme alone is aiming to support $73 billion of investment by 2030: $52 billion in generation and $21 billion in storage. That's for the big ones that go mostly onto farm properties. I can tell you right now, for the people of Mallee, for farmers who are wearing this enormous cost by the Labor government to go for that ideological aim of net zero, it is happening out in our electorates. We're paying for it.

The Nationals believe in a much better energy policy which is cheaper, is better and is fairer. We're not planning on diving well and truly above OECD countries of our kind. We just want to match them in real terms—not the promises, not the ideological fanfare that is constantly made, but in real terms. And Australia is already punching well above its weight. There is no way it is justifiable for the Labor government to try to achieve their ideological aims by pursuing families who live in Australia.

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