Press conference, Canberra, ACT

CHRIS BOWEN: This morning, of course, we are opening bids for our Plenti round of the Home Energy Upgrades Fund. This is the billion-dollar fund to help Australians put renewable energy, energy efficiency, storage into their homes. $60 million is the first round, which is open from today. Announced it last week – it's actually open for business from today.

I also just want to welcome the support from many prominent economists for this government's Future Made in Australia and renewable energy superpower agenda. An open letter supporting the government's agenda, saying this is important for Australia's economic future, which obviously we agree with. It's an important part of our economic future. So, I want to welcome that.

All this is in contrast, of course, to the complete vacuum on the other side of politics, the policy free zone. 673 days since Peter Dutton said they would go down the path of nuclear reactors – still no locations, still no costs, still no modelling, still no details. If you want to be the alternative government of Australia, you've got to have details. Being the alternative Prime Minister of Australia isn't attacking the CSIRO and issuing tweets attacking journalists for doing their job it's actually coming up with alternative plans and details.

And Mr Dutton has been an abject failure. We see absolutely no detail. The Shadow Minister for Energy is in the witness protection program, not sure the last time he held a press conference in Canberra was, he's not able to answer detailed questions about the policy that he has championed. The time for talk is over. Mr Dutton – release your policy. If you can't release your policy, it just shows you're not across the details and you're running scared of the reaction from your own party room. Happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST: The CSIRO is up before estimates tonight. Do you expect to get some clarity on what can be done regarding our energy future, in particular, if there is any future for nuclear in Australia?

CHRIS BOWEN: CSIRO is completely independent, arm’s length from government. The CSIRO has been doing this report with AEMO since 2018. I'm quite sure the previous government didn't interfere in its work and neither do we. It makes independent assessments. I think the CSIRO will explain some of the important – I imagine they'll explain some of the important details of their report and their modelling if they're asked about it. And that's a good opportunity for the CSIRO to correct the record against the quite outrageous and improper attacks on them by the opposition.

CSIRO has been an organisation in existence for more than 100 years. It's not only Australia's premier scientific organisation, it is one of the most respected scientific organisations in the world. And not just scientific. I mean, it's got economists and experts in energy right throughout its organisation. The lead author of the report is a very established and credentialed and well-respected economist, as well as being an expert in energy. The time for these partisan attacks on the CSIRO is well and truly over – in fact, there's never any time for a partisan attack on the CSIRO.

JOURNALIST: Just on electorate offices being targeted. The PM's office it was revealed today, has been not operating since January. I think your own office has been targeted before. Where do you see this going and how do you see this improving?

CHRIS BOWEN: I think this is an important point, there's a place for peaceful protest, we respect that. We more than understand it, it's an important part of Australian democracy. But electorate officers are there to help people who need help from their MP, people who aren't protesters, people who aren't engaged in the political process, but need help from their MP on their pension and their Medicare claim, on their immigration claim.

In the case of the Prime Minister, that has been very, very hard for him and his office to provide because of this action in effectively blockading his office. I mean, people who are – the people of Grayndler deserve to be able to see their MP's office. And you can have views about the situation in the Middle east, we've called for a ceasefire, we’ve voted in relation to Palestine's representation in the UN according to our views, etc. That's been controversial in some elements, in some areas, there are myths out there about Australia selling arms to Israel that are perpetrated by some, but you can have debates about all that – there is absolutely no place for stopping an MP doing their job.

Now, the Prime Minister's staff are still working from a different office, but it's a lot harder to provide that support for constituents. In my case, my office was vandalised, all that achieves is taxpayers’ money to wash the graffiti off the window. I mean, I'm not sure what they're trying to achieve, so, I think that people who have you know, valid contributions to making the political debate about the future of Middle East should really think about the way they engage and destructive and juvenile attempts to block constituents going to MP's offices have no place.

JOURNALIST: When you talk about myths being perpetuated, are you saying, by the Greens in particular, do they have a role to play in this?

CHRIS BOWEN: The Greens always have a – the Greens have a role to play in its building. But protests outside the Prime Minister's office, which have been addressed by Green MPs and Senators I think, I draw you back to my previous comments about legitimate protest is fine. Encouraging the blockading of MP's offices and stopping MP's doing their job is ill advised and should be reconsidered by all. And again, we can have disputes about matters of opinion, saying that Australia is sending arms to Israel is not true. Is not true. And people should reflect on their contributions to the debate. Okay, thank you.