Press conference in Penrith, NSW

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN: Hi everyone, Susan Templeman the Member for Macquarie and it’s fantastic to be her with Chris Bowen to talk about our incredible home batteries program. So my electorate of Macquarie is just across the river here, part of Nepean, the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury and it is no surprise to me that Macquarie is number four in the leader board of battery take-up. We're fourth in the state in terms of people saying, yes, I want a home battery and this scheme is making it so much more accessible for families. You think, why is that the case? Well, you look at a day like today, the sun is absolutely shining and all of us want to find ways to reduce our energy costs. And the battery being added to an existing solar system or as an extra incentive to go from nothing to having solar and battery has been a huge driver for people. It's fantastic to be here at PCS Energy, known as Penrith Solar across the electorate, and I see their signs right across the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, and Nepean, because people are turning to trusted organisations to deliver this scheme.

It is a real game changer for people's budgets, knowing that they're doing something that will, not just today, but in an ongoing way, bring down their energy costs. So I'm that this is the place we've come with Minister Bowen for some pretty big news.

CHRIS BOWEN: Thanks, Susan. It's great to be here to mark a very significant milestone in the rollout of the Albanese Government's Cheaper Home Batteries policy. Today, 50,000 batteries installed since July 1. This is Australian households, small businesses, community groups working in partnership with their government on the transition, reducing their bills and their emissions all at the same time. And we're in Penrith today at PSC, I want to thank Jake and Daniel and the team for having us here today, because this is very much a suburban and regional story, as Susan said. In New South Wales the electorates with the biggest take-up of the cheaper home batteries policy. Gilmore and Page at the top, then Richmond, then Macquarie, then Hunter and Riverina. These are all outer suburban, and all regional electorates. This is not something that we announced as policy. Some people said this is just for rich inner city elites. That was never true and it is not true. And it shows that the Australian people are getting on with the job. Just like they told us to get on with the job on May 3. They know that the pathway to net zero is one that creates prosperity. They know that what's good for the planet is also good for your pocket. And there are Australians who doing this each and every day. We're installing on average 1000 batteries each working day across our country. And places like PSC have very big forward orders, are booked out months in advance, employing more people, hiring more apprentices right across Australia, they tell me, because there is so much good work to do. So 50,000 batteries today and we've also, since the July 1, increased the capacity of Australian home batteries by 25 per cent. So 25 per cent more capacity today across home batteries in total than there was on July 1. So this is the policy working just as we hoped and intended it would.

So, so much done, so much left to do. This is just the first two months of the operation of the Albanese Government's Cheaper Home Batteries policy with so much more to do in partnership with the Australian people. 50,000 today, a good milestone. Over to you, we might go to journalists in the room first and then journalists on the phone.

JOURNALIST: Is there a cap on the number of discounts that you will be offering?

CHRIS BOWEN: No.

JOURNALIST: So this is unlimited?

CHRIS BOWEN: It's a demand-driven program.

JOURNALIST: And how many- are you expecting that- obviously, there was a surge. Are you expecting that demand to continue at that level?

CHRIS BOWEN: That's the indication. So when we're- it's a fair question because we monitor this. But when you look at the forward orders across installers, the fact that 1000 a day is such a consistent outcome, we're getting more than 1000 on some days, but consistently 1000 a day and around 500 on Saturdays, all the indications are that this programme will continue to roll out very successfully with strong take-up from Australians. And again, places like PSC and other installers right around Australia booked out considerably in advance, which is a very good thing.

SUSAN TEMPLEMAN: Can I add something to that from my electorate perspective? I had a whole bunch of people who were waiting for this. From the moment it was announced, they were desperate to be able to jump on board. Now that they have their batteries and they're talking to their neighbours about it, I'm hearing a whole lot of other people say, oh, it actually sounds like it makes a really good difference. So now I think what we're going to see is the word of mouth will get round the neighbourhood, and more and more people will be prepared to take that jump with a big support and incentive from the Federal Government.

JOURNALIST: And can you just talk through the difference it is making to households?

CHRIS BOWEN: Yeah, right across Australia people are telling me their bills are coming down. A lot of people are looking- under our scheme it's up to you whether you keep the battery just for your own use or you participate in what's called a virtual power plant, a VPP, where your battery buys and sells electricity at various times. Many people are looking at that. That's entirely up to them as to whether you do that or not. So people are finding, of course, their bills will come down. Some apps show you how much carbon you're avoiding by relying on your battery instead of the grid. So people- a lot of people I talked to are addicted to their apps, seeing when they're on grid, when they're on battery, checking it regularly, getting used to the system, learning how a VPP works. It's all about putting- what we want to do is put Australian consumers in charge, increasingly. We used to just take electricity from coal-fired power stations and we used to have to take it at the price they sell it. A big part of this transition is saying Australian households, you're now in charge. Your roof is a power station, your garage stores energy, your driveway stores energy, and the battery in your car. You're in charge about whether you use that power all yourself, you sell some into the grid. It's giving Australians a whole lot more choices about their energy future and the country's energy future.

JOURNALIST: Since you brought up the batteries in cars, the Treasurers last night agreed that there would be a way forward nationally on electric vehicle road user charges. What could that look like?

CHRIS BOWEN: Look, governments are working together, state and Federal. Everyone acknowledges that a road user charge has to be the destination. There's a lot of work to do. There's many, many models to consider. As the Treasurers made clear in their communique, they want to ensure that it supports EV take-up, not delays EV take-up, if that's possible with the right design. So Jim Chalmers and the Treasurers in consultation with me and Catherine King at the Federal level will continue to work through. It's not imminent. It's not something that's going to happen overnight. There's a lot of work to go yet, a lot of water to go under the bridge. But, you know, as more and more petrol cars are leaving - and in fact those petrol cars that stay are more and more efficient due to our new vehicle efficiency standards and improvements in technology - of course government revenue bases have to change. But this is not something that's going to happen overnight or in the little coming period. There's a lot more further work to do between governments.

JOURNALIST: How long do you expect it to take?

CHRIS BOWEN: I'm not going to start predicting. Let's just see how the work goes.

JOURNALIST: [Interrupts] Would it be years, though?

CHRIS BOWEN: It's good that governments are working on it. It's got quite a while to run yet.
Any more questions in the room before I go to the phone? Okay, over to you on the phone. I can come back to you if you like. We'll go to the phone now.

JOURNALIST: Minister, on the EV road user charge, are you confident that now, in terms of the scale of the uptake, is the right time to move on this, and that it won’t impact and disincentivise people to buy EVs?

CHRIS BOWEN: It's the right time for the discussion. It's the right time for the work to happen. Inevitably, this work will take a long period of time to work through, so you've got to start it. The road user charge isn’t being introduced now, this year, or in coming months. It is work underway between governments. We're very upfront about that. We've always said a road user charge has to be on the agenda, but it's also not imminent for Australia.

JOURNALIST: And some EV groups are advocating for a universal charge, not just for electric vehicles. Will you rule that out?

CHRIS BOWEN: Look, there's a lot of work to go between governments on the different models. Obviously, cars aren't going to be double-charged but, look, again, let's just let that work continue.

JOURNALIST: So people won't be paying a road user charge and a fuel expense?

CHRIS BOWEN: I don't think anybody would really seriously suggest that, but let's let the work continue.

JOURNALIST: And the Pacific Island Forum is kicking off next week. What's the government hoping to achieve there?

CHRIS BOWEN: Well the Prime Minister will be at the Pacific Island Leaders Forum. It's a very important forum which the Prime Minister is deeply engaged in as, of course, is appropriate as a member of the Pacific family. Obviously there will be a range of issues discussed at the Pacific Island Forum. I have no doubt, from my point of view, ongoing climate cooperation will be vital and will be a very significant feature of the discussions. Including our support for Pacific Islands and their decarbonisation journey, which I was able to announce recently in places like Palau and Marshall Islands. And also, of course, our COP31 bid which is a joint partnership between Australia and the Pacific and will give Australia the opportunity to tell this story about our transition in Adelaide where half of South Australian houses have solar panels on the roof, 50 per cent. And they are also taking up this policy, Cheaper Home Batteries, at an extraordinary rate. And the story of Australia's decarbonisation, as well as focusing on the issues of the existential threat to the existence of some Pacific islands from climate change. That's our opportunity if we host COP31, which the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and I are seeking to do with the Government.

JOURNALIST: Great. That’s all from me.

CHRIS BOWEN: All from you? Back to the room.

JOURNALIST: I’m happy as well, thank you.

CHRIS BOWEN: That's a wrap, everyone’s done. Great, thanks for your time guys.