I too rise to speak on the National Energy Legislation Amendment Bill 2020. What this bill does is it makes small yet very significant changes for Victorians when it comes to paying their gas and electricity bills. It also continues our government’s great work of making the Victorian energy market fairer and reducing the cost of living for households right across Victoria.

Now, when we came to government in 2014 Victorians were in desperate need of a fairer energy market. And for so many people it felt impossible to understand not only their energy bills but also how to get the best deal possible, because understanding how energy providers charge customers and the actual complexity of how those charges are calculated up and down the supply chain is pretty much beyond the comprehension of most people. So we decided to step in and, most importantly, as this government has always done and will continue to do, we put fairness at the core of our decision-making. We knew that when it came to government, the neglect from those opposite had been felt at the kitchen table of every household right across Victoria. We had families crying out for change. And sadly, energy providers could not be relied upon or trusted to make that change to deliver better services for their customers with reduced cost and greater transparency.

Well, the winds of change certainly blew in a different direction in the 2014 state election, with those same Victorian households voting for a government to take action on the energy front—a regulatory shake-up; something those opposite do not quite understand and they most certainly do not stand for. We have risen to the challenge in undertaking the biggest regulatory shake-up this state has ever seen in the energy market. We are committed to putting the power back in the hands of Victorians through the energy fairness plan. And it is working. We know it is working. Today’s National Energy Legislation Amendment Bill is a further reform to help alleviate the financial and economic pressures that Victorian energy consumers face and, I have to say, are going to be facing now more than ever.

This bill is the 14th set of reforms to Victoria’s energy laws that our government has introduced into this Parliament. Now, if you think about that for a second—14 reforms packages that have come before this Parliament—it is a very, very stark contrast to the federal government’s failure to act on climate change and energy reform for the better part of what is now a decade. Australians deserve better. We know they deserve better, which is why it becomes really difficult to believe those opposite when they start talking about energy reform.

Victorians can be confident that our government will continue to be dedicated to keeping gas and electricity prices down. We will make them more affordable, now and into the future. Victorians can also be confident that we have a plan—it is so important to have a plan—a vision for this state’s renewable energy future. We stand for affordability, we stand for fairness and we stand for transparency. It is what drives us, and it is also why we introduced the Victorian default offer last year. The VDO is the centrepiece of this fairness plan. It provides a very simple-to-understand, reliable offer that customers can trust, and most importantly, they can understand. I do note that as of this month the default offer is now available to those living in embedded networks. This is really important because with this new pricing cap residents of apartment buildings, rooming houses, caravan parks and retirement villages can save between $180 and $370 a year on their energy bills, while most importantly our small businesses—and I have got many in my electorate—who are in shopping centres can save between $900 and $2200.

It is also why we have made it easier for Victorians to compare the energy market. We know that of the 2.7 million Victorians who visited the energy compare website up to 70 per cent found a better deal and saved up to $330 a year on their energy bills. And I say to people living in my electorate of Tarneit: if you have not actually been to the energy compare website and checked it out, this is a great way for you save on your energy bills. Even until recently our $50 power-saving bonus scheme was helping to incentivise Victorians to make that change, to go ahead and look around to ensure that they were getting the best outcome from their energy providers, the best deal possible that was currently on the market.

Now, as someone who spent over a decade working in this sector before entering politics, I worked in many roles. One in particular used to strike me as one of my favourites, and that was one in which I was required to leave the ivory tower here in Melbourne’s CBD and go out and talk with customers—talk with families, people across their kitchen tables—right across the electricity network. I talked to them directly about their issues and what mattered most to them, and it was no surprise that the cost of energy bills was raised time and time again as one of the biggest concerns and, I can tell you, confusions for customers.

That is why I know for a fact that these types of schemes that we are introducing are going to make a world of difference. They will make a world of difference for all Victorians and for people living out west, my way, including in my electorate. Out in Tarneit energy bills are no small thing for many, many households, especially at the moment. That is why they know it is important to get the best deal possible, and it is why so many households in my electorate have taken advantage of this government’s Solar Homes program to bring down their power bills. I know that is also working. That is what happens when you have got a government like ours that is committed to investing in renewable energy projects, where government-driven policies like ours make energy more affordable for households and families. That is why this government is committed to implementing every recommendation from the energy fairness plan.

The key component of this bill is the switching and the timing of Victoria’s regulatory frameworks for electricity and gas from the calendar year to the financial year. Currently, we know changes come into effect as of 1 January. What that means is that when regulations change, this is really the time when gas and electricity companies often increase their prices, and it comes at a time for many, many Victorians that is considered probably the worst time possible. Because it is no surprise to anyone in this chamber that money is often tight for a lot of families, particularly after Christmas. Money is spent on Christmas celebrations, presents for family and friends. There might be travel and New Year’s parties and celebrations. That all takes a very big toll on household budgets. For many families this Christmas will be tough, and the last thing they need is for their bills to increase a week later.

What this bill will do in comparison is make it so that any changes to these bills come at a time when, relatively speaking, money is coming into households, because at the end of the financial year most households will be likely lodging their tax returns. And whether you are getting a couple of hundred dollars back on tax or you are lucky and get a few thousand, if you are expecting and you know that your provider is going to increase the cost, you are more likely to know if you will have the money to meet those new costs, and you will certainly have certainty about your savings.

But we are not just changing when providers can increase the cost of bills. We are also limiting the frequency with which retailers can increase their prices to once per year, making the marketing of energy deals clearer and less confusing for customers and capping those pay-on-time discounts so that customers are not going to be unfairly penalised if they are making a late payment. What does this all mean for consumers? Well, it means that your provider can only change how much they are going to charge you once a year. This way folks can have more confidence and certainty around their bills, knowing when they are likely to increase and that they will not have to worry about a second price increase within the year.

These reforms are all part of our regulatory shake-up and go to the heart of cutting the cost of energy for all Victorians and putting the power back in the hands of families and businesses. This bill really does reflect our government’s commitment to making Victorians’ energy bills fairer and cheaper. We are not only relieving families of those economic and financial stresses in their lives, we are also giving them reassurances about when and how often energy providers can change the charges in their bills. It is for all these reasons I commend the bill to the house.