Interview with Tom Mann, ABC North and West SA Breakfast

TOM MANN, HOST: You're on ABC North and West this morning. My name's Tom Mann. Now with the new financial year beginning today, a suite of legislative changes are set to come into effect. Those looking for some cost-of-living relief will be breathing a sigh of relief with a new household pressure relief like energy bill rebates and rent assistance kicking in. Senator Jenny McAllister is federal Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy. From today, the energy bill subsidies as well as some other cost of living pressures will be – begin – will kick in. How did the government settle on the sum of $300 to subsidise energy bills?

SENATOR JENNY McALLISTER, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE & ENERGY: Look, we wanted to make the biggest impact that we could right up and down the income spectrum. We are very conscious that people are doing it tough, and our approach was to bring in a budget that would assist people where we could without putting additional pressure on inflation. We're really pleased that, today, the actions we've taken will start to help people. We'll see a tax cut for every taxpayer. We'll see the $300 energy bill relief start to flow and 2.6 million low-paid workers will get their third consecutive pay rise backed by this government.

MANN: And there has been a lot of criticism from people saying this is not enough for the most vulnerable in our communities, as well as the increase in people who have been having to rely on some charitable services or doing it incredibly tough. Could the government have done more to support vulnerable people?

McALLISTER: We are conscious that people are doing it tough and our intention has been to act swiftly to provide support, building on the support that was provided in last year's Budget. So, we have tax reductions for people. We have energy bill relief, we have wage increase, but we have a number of additional measures that will be important for people in your area as well and for your listeners, Tom. We have student debt relief coming through. There's 11,000 people in the area that you cover who have a HELP debt and they'll see bill relief or a credit coming through onto their HELP account. We've already seen people benefiting from cheaper medicines. And of course, we've delivered another increase to rent assistance, which means it's 40% higher on the maximum rates than when we came to government. We know that people are finding it hard and we really want to be able to help while we can, at the same time as repairing the Budget and making sure that we don't make the Reserve Bank's job any harder than it needs to be.

MANN: And on the flip side, mentioning the Reserve Bank, the most recent CPI figures did see a slight increase, prompting concerns that the RBA may make the decision within the year to increase interest rates again. Do you believe these measures introduced that are intended to give relief could cause financial strain in a different way?

McALLISTER: Well, we obviously don't comment on the independent decisions that might be taken by the Reserve Bank. They've got their job to do. Our job is to make sure that we manage the economy in ways that support the families around the country whilst obviously trying to take pressure off inflation. Inflation is moderating in welcome ways, but it's still too high and we know that there's more work to do.

MANN: Now, the Opposition has earmarked Port Augusta as the only South Australian site for the construction of nuclear reactors if elected. The Port Augusta mayor, when speaking with us recently and with a release, has said the community looks forward to receiving more information around the plan and there has been obviously quite a wide range of reactions. But you also flag concerns of the community experiencing announcement fatigue. What's your take on the Coalition's nuclear announcement?

McALLISTER: Well, we are taking steps today to deliver bill relief on their energy bills. Peter Dutton has announced a plan to deliver the most expensive form of energy that there is in two decades' time. This is not a serious response to the challenges that we need to address this decade in Australia's energy system. I did note the comments from the mayor of Port Augusta, and I noted her view that this had been done without consultation or engagement with the local community. It doesn't seem like a respectful or appropriate way to go about settling an important question such as this.

MANN: And do you think the State Government of South Australia is on track with its transition to renewables to make enough of an impact for people living in the state?

McALLISTER: We're working right across the country with the state and territory governments to work through the transition. We had ten years of denial and delay under the previous government, but we all know that renewables are the cheapest form of energy and we're getting on with the job of getting more renewables into our system. Under our government, we've had a 25% increase of renewables in the grid. We've had record investment in batteries and storage. We had over 330,000 rooftop solar installations last year alone. I think Australians understand the opportunity that renewables present, and we've been really pleased with the opportunity to work with state and territory governments around the country to get on with this and to resolve the chaos and confusion that was generated by the Liberals during their long period in office.

MANN: And finally, Senator, one of your colleagues, one of the big news stories of the day, that Senator Fatima Payman has been indefinitely suspended from the caucus following her decision to cross the floor to support a Greens’ motion recognising a Palestinian state earlier last week. What's been your reaction to this indefinite suspension?

McALLISTER: You know, Tom, all party members understand the way that we work. We make decisions together, we talk it through together, we arrive at the approach and then we stick together. And I think Senator Payman, by her actions and her statements, has put herself outside of that process. If she decides that she can respect the caucus and the processes of the caucus and her colleagues, then she can return. But you're right. You're correct in understanding that until then, Senator Payman’s been suspended from the right to participate in our group. I think the important thing we would say is that this is an approach that has served us well over many, many years. It's a system that allows us to work together to deliver on the things that matter for the people that we care about. And today's tax cuts and today's cost of living relief are an example of exactly that discipline and that focus. We're just really focused on getting on with the job of delivering for Australians.

MANN: Assistant Minister, thank you so much for your time this morning.

McALLISTER: Thank you. I appreciate you having me on.

MANN: Senator Jenny McAllister, federal Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy.