Press conference at Lane Cove, Sydney, NSW

JEROME LAXALE: We're here at Lane Cove Aquatic Centre with a really exciting announcement. This is one that this community has been calling out for a while. That pool behind me uses 99 per cent of Lane Cove Council's gas. It uses 60 per cent of their electricity. As such, their bills have increased by 40 per cent over the last little while. But thanks to the Albanese Labor Government, with a $1.14 million grant, they'll be electrifying their gas boilers and reducing their power bills by hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

Now, while the Liberals and Nationals tear themselves apart in the face of this evidence and these hard facts, it's the Labor Government that's continuing to deliver renewable energy solutions and electrification, not only to drive down emissions, but to also drive down power prices right here. These savings will mean that the Lane Cove Council can increase the hours of their pools, which currently close during the winter because it's just too expensive to run. And it'll mean that their emissions will reduce, helping them reach their net zero targets – all possible because this Government was not only elected in 2022 but re-elected in 2025 to continue this important transition.

So, congratulations to Lane Cove Council. Thank you to the Minister for this wonderful grant announcement, and it's just really exciting for this community. I'd love to invite the Minister up to tell us more, but also, obviously, comment on the alternative to this wonderful approach to helping communities electrify and reduce their bills.

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, thanks very much, Jerome. Well, what's good for the planet is good for your pocket. That's true of households. That's true of countries. That's true of local councils. And we're delighted to be partnering with Lane Cove Council to fund the replacement of a gas boiler here, keeping the water warm with a heat pump. This is the sort of project which reduces Council's energy bills, reduces emissions, and sees the Council able to reinvest that money as they see fit in their community instead of paying gas bills.

So this is win, win, win. Now, Lane Cove Council is one of 23 councils across New South Wales to benefit from this funding.

Yesterday, I was at Mount Annan Leisure Centre with Dr Mike Freelander; the day before, at the Blacktown International Sports Park, in my own electorate, with the Mayor of Blacktown, Brad Bunting, making very similar announcements.

This is getting on with the job. This is practical, pragmatic, focused action, reducing bills and emissions. Councils often know best their own community and how to decarbonise. They want to decarbonise. This program was oversubscribed. But the capital cost can be prohibitive for a council, so we're very happy to partner, on the basis of joint funding, with Lane Cove Council to see them do what they've wanted to do for a long time and decarbonise their swimming pool.

As Jerome said, this leisure centre is responsible for 99 per cent of Lane Cove Council’s gas use, a big, big chunk, a majority of their energy use in total, which is understandable because a swimming pool is very energy-intensive. So these are the sorts of programs, the sorts of decisions, which are focused on practical everyday action. We're getting on with it, as Australians are doing. 123,000 home batteries to date. They’re getting on with it. Australian business is getting on with it.

One group that's not getting on with it, and they're not getting on with themselves, is the Opposition, who've just decided to count themselves out of this national conversation, to show Australians, remind them, that they just don't get it when it comes to the need for action on climate change. That they continue to dispute science, and they continue to dispute the economics, that renewable is not the cheapest form of energy.

So, I say more in sorrow than anger, the Liberal and National Party have decided to count themselves out with that conversation. Clearly, the National Party is calling the shots, and Barnaby Joyce is calling the shots within the National Party, and therefore, within Australia's Opposition. That is sad for Australia because it means we don't have an Opposition fully engaged in the great challenges and opportunities of our time, but we'll just continue to get on with it.

I want to thank Jerome for your strong advocacy for this project, you’ve a constant, constant advocate for Lane Cove Council’s decarbonisation efforts and have been regularly checking in with me about this project. People of Bennelong have a wonderful MP who was re-elected with a massive swing just a few months ago, in no small part not only because of your hard work, Jerome, but because you have a strong stance on climate change, I think, and you're seeing that translate now into real action for the people of Bennelong.

Happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST: Minister, are you at all worried about the Liberal position of cheaper power at all costs, and that that could resonate with Australians?

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, the Liberal Party says they're for cheaper power but their policy is the opposite. I mean, they want less of the cheapest form of power and more of the most expensive. The document they released yesterday was a blancmange of hypocritical, contradictory, internally inconsistent statements which add up to nothing.

They say they want to reduce emissions but then they talk about new coal-fired power. They say they're against new government subsidies and criticise me for not subsidising coal and nuclear and carbon capture.

Then they say they want cheaper power and they oppose renewables. They talk about energy abundance like talking about it makes it happen. I’ll tell you what energy abundance is, it’s getting on with 50 per cent renewables so we’re hitting the grid for the first time in October, in the national grid. That's what getting on with the job looks like.

Their policy makes no sense. It's incoherent and I very much look forward - this is a debate I didn't seek. If they’d engaged in bipartisanship, I’d prefer that, but it’s not one we'll not shirk and we'll engage in it in the coming months and years. They haven't actually released a policy. This morning on radio, Mr Tehan said they'll release their policy closer to the election. Yesterday, to be fair, was not a policy.

JOURNALIST: Why issue big companies receive taxpayers subsidies to reduce emissions?

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, I don't really agree with the premise of the question. But what will see- as I said, yesterday Sussan Ley said she was against subsidies and then criticised us for not subsidising nuclear, coal and carbon capture. So, go figure. You know, I just can't follow the Opposition's line of attack. It doesn't make any sense to me.

JOURNALIST: Your Government hasn’t followed through on its promise to significantly bring down power prices. Why should Australians believe you in this transition?

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, I think Australians had their say in May. You know, Mr Dutton - I wish him well - said he wanted a referendum on climate and energy. We were okay with that. That happened in May. The Australian people told us to get on the job, that's what we're doing. I don't think the Coalition got the memo from the Australian people in May though.

JOURNALIST: As we push on with the transition, when could we see power prices significantly come down [indistinct]…

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, we've seen wholesale prices come down substantially. We've got more work to do to make sure they flow through to retail prices. The wholesale price is a lot lower now than they were in 2022 - down 27 per cent in the last quarter. 

We'll see next year how that translates to retail prices. We've got a whole bunch of reforms that I've announced to energy pricing, including Solar Sharer which sees Australians have access, if they choose to, to three hours of free power in the middle of the day. This is all about putting consumers first, and that agenda will continue.

JOURNALIST: Would you anticipate it will follow through?

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, let's see how the retail prices are impacted by wholesale prices next year.

JOURNALIST: People speak about Tomago Aluminium Smelter as an example of how the renewable transition is hurting manufacturing in Australia-

CHRIS BOWEN: Who's people? Who’s people?

JOURNALIST: Certainly, the Liberal Party, but there…

CHRIS BOWEN: Thank you.

JOURNALIST: …are also concerns from Rio Tinto, there are also concerns for people who work at Tomago about their jobs. A lot of Australians are concerned about that as well? Do you deny that the smelters aren't suffering because of this?

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, you said people, and then we had to clarify the Liberal Party.

JOURNALIST: There are a cohort of different people [inaudible]…

CHRIS BOWEN: And then you said Rio. Let's look at what Rio said. Rio said there's not enough renewables, they want more renewables, that's what they said. They said we need more certainty about renewables to secure the future of Tomago. That's not my words, that's the words of the chief executive of Tomago. So, we're continuing discussions with Tomago about that, and Rio.

But if the Liberal Party, as you accept, are the ones making the argument that somehow renewables aren't the cheapest form of energy, then they fly in the face of every bit of economic evidence. They want to show continually they're dinosaurs who reject science and who reject economics.

JOURNALIST: Why is Tomago struggling to stay open, in your view?

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, I would refer you to the statements of the chief executive of Tomago, who said we're not able to get coal contracts at competitive rates and we're not confident of enough renewables coming through. That's what the chief executive of Tomago said.

JOURNALIST: Will your government support subsidising Tomago to keep it open?

CHRIS BOWEN: We have said we will continue sensible discussions with Tomago and those discussions continue.

JOURNALIST: Are you open to [inaudible]?

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, I'm not negotiating here in Lane Cove, as much as I love it. We'll keep those conversations going with Tomago and we'll have more to say, if and when we can.

JOURNALIST: A lot of people are concerned about their jobs there.

CHRIS BOWEN: Absolutely.

JOURNALIST: Any idea of how much the federal or State Government of New South Wales would be willing to pay to keep it open.

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, you know, the last time an aluminium smelter closed in Australia was on Joe Hockey's watch when he was Treasurer. He said, well, we shouldn't get too excited about one particular smelter. That's not our approach. We care about every single job, we care about the jobs at Tomago.
We’ll never goad manufacturing into leaving Australia like the Liberals did.

I'm old enough to have been in parliament when Joe Hockey said that they could go, to the car manufacturers. We have the opposite approach. It’s not so much about subsidies, it’s about coming up with a sensible plan with Tomago that works for everyone. Well, those conversations – this is not an announcement, we said this in Parliament weeks ago – we’ll continue those conversations.

JOURNALIST: Well, if the factory could close on your watch, what message would that send to them

CHRIS BOWEN: With respect, I think you’re way getting ahead of yourself.