Labor’s battery commitment

Member for Corangamite Libby Coker and Minister for Energy and Climate Change Chris Bowen with Armstrong Creek residents. (Supplied)

One million energy bill-busting batteries will be delivered across the region if the labor federal government is re-elected.

Minister for Energy and Climate Change Chris Bowen visited Armstrong Creek on Monday, April 14, to commit to a Cheaper Home Batteries Program if labor is successful during the May 3 election.

Mr Bowen said the $2.3 billion program would be rolled out from July 1 to reduce the cost of a typical installed battery by 30 per cent, with more than one million new batteries expected by 2030.

“The sun doesn’t always shine, but households and businesses having batteries means we can keep solar energy on tap and keep energy bills down consistently,” he said.

“We’ve already hit 46 per cent renewable energy under labor and we’re on track to hit 82 per cent renewable energy by 2030. We can’t afford to risk this progress.”

The battery would be installed at residential homes, and power would be stored from solar panels for the household to use when needed, reducing reliance on the power grid.

Member for Corangamite Libby Coker said every Australian would be eligible for the batteries, which would help keep power bill costs down.

“We will provide support for households and small businesses right across our region to help them buy one of a million power bill busting batteries,” she said.

“A re-elected Albanese Government helping Australians across our region with the cost of living and taking pressure off household energy bills, or Peter Dutton’s liberals who will spend $600 billion on a nuclear plan that drives power bills up.”