Interview with Lisa Millar, ABC News Breakfast

LISA MILLAR: Thanks, James. Let's get on the Federal Government's plan to cap gas prices. We're joined now by Chris Bowen who's the Minister for energy and climate. Good morning to you, Minister.

CHRIS BOWEN: Thanks, Lisa, good morning.

LISA MILLAR: I want to start off with the electrification plans that are going to come in. What's it actually going to mean for people; who's going to get that kind of help to encourage people to move away from gas to electric?

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, Lisa, the first principle is that electrifying things is food for the consumer and good for the environment, particularly if we're making that electricity renewable, which we are, and that's been a policy we've been working on for some time, plus energy efficiency. Obviously using less energy is good again for the consumer and for the environment.

So, a few weeks ago, we started consultation on the National Energy Performance Strategy, which is a good process. In conversations with the Greens, they suggested that we produce a package in the lead up to the election. That will be the first product of that National Energy Performance Strategy which we're already working on. It's a good suggestion, entirely in keeping with our agenda to help households.

Now, we will work through that and continue to work through that. There's options like concessional loans for the CEFC, support for research and development, et cetera, et cetera, which we will continue to work on, and obviously detailed design like means testing and making sure the support goes to where it can have the biggest impact is something we'll continue to work on, but it's entirely in keeping with our agenda, and again, this is a government of grown ups working across the Parliament to get things done like we have on multiple occasions this year, to get important legislation passed.

LISA MILLAR: Yeah, you're saying that it's something you've been working on for ages. The Greens say they've got a win here with this. But you were going to do it anyway, weren't you? So, is it really a win for the Greens?

CHRIS BOWEN: Look, I'm not interested in apportioning credit, we're getting things done and we're working across the Parliament, with the Greens, with the crossbench, with people of good faith who want to work with us. The Opposition's made themselves irrelevant but just opposing everything; that's a matter for them, but where the Parliament works best is where parties   we've had plenty of disagreements with the Greens, but we also have areas of agreement where we can come together and work on things together, the Parliament and the country are better off, that's the case across the board with people of good faith and goodwill working together in the national interest; that's what's occurred here.

LISA MILLAR: What does this mean going forward for precedents. Are we going to see this kind of action again when we come to capping prices?

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, this is an extraordinary circumstance. This is a war circumstance where 90 per cent of the energy price rises around the world, we know from the International Energy Agency, have been caused by the impact on coal and gas of Putin's invasion of Ukraine. So this is pretty unusual, and we don't think it's appropriate, and I'll just be very frank and blunt about this, we don't think it's appropriate for some companies to make very big profits as a result of those war prices and war profits at the expense of Australian households and consumers.

I know some people, particularly the companies involved, will disagree with that. News flash: gas companies like big profits, but it's our job to intervene carefully, methodically, in the best interests of Australian industry.

LISA MILLAR: I mean, how would you describe the relationship at the moment between big business and manufacturers and the government? 
CHRIS BOWEN: Oh, manufacturing? Great.

LISA MILLAR: Not manufacturing   suppliers, I mean, sorry, yeah.

CHRIS BOWEN: Oh, no, but it's a legitimate question, because we were going to see manufacturers close next year. I mean Ed Husic and the Treasurer, and I were very, very worried about the impact on big industrial manufacturers who rely heavily on gas. We weren't going to stand by and let that happen. It's not their fault; it's not the fault of the workers.

Now, in relation to gas companies and others, they have a different view, but we treat them respectfully. The Prime Minister met with them yesterday, I'll continue to meet with them, Madeleine King and the Treasurer will continue to meet with them, but we have a different view about how a government should respond in the face of extraordinary prices, extraordinary profits off the back of a war.

Now, it's their job to protect their profits. I respect that. I don't criticise them for that. What I do say is it's our job to protect the Australian people. That's the difference. It's a different job. And we will protect the Australian people, and if that means some incoming and some complaints from some companies, so be it.

We're not here, you know, to make everyone happy, we're here to do the right thing by the country, and letting these price rises flow through would just have been unconscionable. Some people might be able to live with that in the Parliament today. I can't; the government can't. And we're already seeing an impact of our policies. The energy regulator said this morning she's already seeing forward prices come down dramatically as a result of the talk of our intervention. The actual intervention today, the actual response, will have a strong and important impact.

LISA MILLAR: We will see how it all rolls out. Chris Bowen, thanks for your time.

CHRIS BOWEN: And good luck to everybody at home waiting for the HSC results with bated breath this morning. Everybody's in my thoughts.
 
LISA MILLAR: Terrific. Thanks. Thanks Minister.