Australians to get $150 energy bill relief as Albanese seeks to mask price hike pain

Albanese said Dutton’s only plan for energy was a $600 billion nuclear scheme that “he will cut Medicare to pay for”.

The Coalition rejects Labor’s claims it will cut Medicare, and puts a smaller $263 billion price tag on its nuclear plan, but Dutton is under pressure to reveal where the money will come from. He has also committed $12 billion to match Labor’s health pledges while vowing to cut government spending.

Dutton will seek to remind voters of Labor’s broken promise from the last election, when it claimed household power bills would come down by $275. Instead, they have risen by hundreds of dollars.

“The Albanese government’s renewables-only energy policy is destroying the economy, and people know it,” Dutton said on Saturday.

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“The independent energy regulator is warning that lights are going to go out, so we’ll have blackouts and brownouts under Labor’s renewables-only policy.”

The Albanese government defends its energy policy, saying ageing coal-fired power stations and a global energy crunch have driven prices higher, but renewables create downward pressure.

Labor was expected to announce another round of energy relief in this week’s budget given its last round of $300 subsidies was due to end in June.

The government indicated a surprise revenue boost had given it room to offer more household relief, but Treasurer Jim Chalmers is forecast to reveal a $26.9 billion deficit in Tuesday’s budget.