Interview with Tracy Vo and David Campbell, Nine's Today Show

TRACY VO: Well, let's bring in now the Energy Minister, Chris Bowen. Minister, you've heard it right there from one Aussie, one of many, feeling the financial pain, and all they're asking for is help. Will they get it?

CHRIS BOWEN: Absolutely. That's why we're doing everything we are. That's why the Prime Minister's talking to the Premiers, that's why we've got an Energy Ministers meeting today, because Australian families, like the one we just heard from, shouldn't be paying the price of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

We've already seen big energy price rises last year. The previous government, as you know, hid those before the election, but we are not hiding the pressures, we are going up front about the pressures, and we're acting. So, we do need to act.

The message we just heard from that family is 100 per cent right in every regard, and that is why we're doing what we're doing. Now, there are people out there who say it's all too hard and the government shouldn't be looking at dealing with coal and gas. Well, they can say that. But the Australians paying their bills, like the ones we just heard from, need action, and they need governments working together, and that's exactly what we're doing. 

We've got a meeting today to talk about some of the things we just heard about, about making sure the system works, and the infrastructure, and Rewiring the Nation, which is our policy, to spend $20 billion to get more transmission, to make sure the system's working and to get more renewable energy on in a most orderly fashion. But also, the Prime Minister and the premiers, particularly of the two states to produce black coal, are working very hard to work out the best way forward. 

We have some powers at the Federal level, we'll use those. The states have some powers at their level. We're talking to them about using those as well, because we want all governments working together using the powers that we have most effectively to ensure that people like the ones we just heard from get some relief and aren't facing just massive increases in bills next year as well.

DAVID CAMPBELL: We're looking at 50 per cent increase. If that doesn't happen, you're going to these two states, with Dominic Perrottet and Annastacia Palaszczuk with these caps. Do you think they're going to come to the table? 

CHRIS BOWEN: We're certainly in good discussions, and both premiers are acting in good faith with the Prime Minister, and I'm obviously talking to my state counterparts as well, the Treasurer's involved, this is a full core press to get this job done. I've seen a lot of speculation in the newspapers about, ‘Oh, people are saying this, and people are saying that.’ A lot of that has just not been true. I ignore all that. That doesn't worry me. We just get on with the job, and the only conversations that really count are not the ones you read in the newspaper about who's saying what, it's the conversations on the phone between the Prime Minister and the Premier, and me and my state counterparts, and the Treasurer's conversations, because they're the ones that actually deliver a deal.

Now, we've got this meeting today, which is the Energy Ministers, we've got important work to do, particularly around a mechanism to keep lights on, like we just heard, a capacity mechanism, as we go through this transition. Part of the problem is, over the last 10 years, just to get technical for a second, we had 4 gigawatts of electricity leave the system, and only one gigawatt come on. That happened under the last government. That means we've got a bit of a mess on our hands. We've got to get more electricity generation on. That will put us in a better situation.

This is the fourth meeting of Energy Ministers I've had in my six months as Energy Minister, fourth meeting with the State and Territory counterparts, because we've got a lot of work to do. And I've got to say, Labor, Liberal, Green, we're all working together around the Energy Ministers' table to get this job done, because that's what the Australian people would expect us to do.

TRACY VO: Well, it's all well and good to have these conversations and meetings, Minister, but I mean we're talking about people's livelihoods here, and why did it get to this point? Leading up to Christmas, people are struggling, they can't feed themselves, they're potentially having to go out and live on the streets 'cause they can't afford their homes or their rental properties. How did it get to this point? I mean you've talked about these conversations you've had behind closed doors with the ministers, with the states, but how are you going to relieve the pressure and also the mental pressure for all these families who are struggling right now, at such a crucial time of the year? 

CHRIS BOWEN: Totally. And you ask how we got to this point. We got to this point because governments around the world are dealing with this; to be fair all the governments around the world. It doesn't matter whether you're left wing, right wing, all the governments around the world are seeing these prices go up massively, and everybody's responding in different ways as appropriate to their own circumstances. 

In Australia's case, we've got this added problem, that we had so much electricity leave the system over the last 10 years and only a little bit come on. That means you don't need to be an expert in energy to know that that's a problem. It means we've got less energy reliability and more pressure on prices. You add to that, you add to that, this invasion, and Russia was the world's biggest supplier of energy, they've effectively been taken out of the system, so you've got governments around the world, looking at particularly in Europe, but all around the world, it's taken a bit longer to get to us, but it's having an impact. 

So, then we have a choice. Do we just stand by and let that happen, and let the families we've just heard from cop it? Or do we say, well, we're not going to do that, we're going to act. We have certain powers at the federal level, which are strong, and we'll use them. The states have other powers which might be more effective in some instances. So, let's talk to the states about them using their powers, us using ours, working together in total concert, Labor and Liberal, let's just get the job done. That's what the Prime Minister's been doing. You'll see more updates on that in the next 24 hours as the Prime Minister and premiers meet. 

DAVID CAMPBELL: So, are you confident, Minister, that the Prime Minister will be able to make a decision and announce something tomorrow after National Cabinet? 

CHRIS BOWEN: I'm very confident that everybody's working hard and in good faith, I'm very confident of that. Who would stand by and listen to the stories we've just heard and say, ‘Well, we're not going to do anything.’ I mean no responsible leader's going to do that, and I don't think any responsible leader is. Of course, there are complicated issues. The energy system's very complex. But I'll tell you what's not complex; the need to act. That's simple. 

DAVID CAMPBELL: All right. Well, we'll see if that need to act is actually actioned by the states tomorrow with the Prime Minister at National Cabinet.
 
Chris Bowen, we thank you so much for your time this morning.