Minister Chris Bowen Slams Opposition’s Energy “Chaos”whilst announcing Federal Funding to Electrify Lane Cove Pool
News article A.Ritenis using AI to summarize Transcript of Ministerial Statement
LANE COVE, NSW – Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, announced a significant federal grant on Friday to electrify the gas-intensive Lane Cove Aquatic Centre, using the moment to launch a scathing attack on the Opposition’s newly unveiled energy policy, which he labelled “incoherent” and “contradictory.”1
The Albanese Labor Government is providing $1.14 million to the Lane Cove Council to replace the pool’s gas boilers with electric heat pumps.2 The facility currently accounts for 99% of the Council’s gas usage and 60% of its electricity.
Speaking at the Aquatic Centre, Minister Bowen championed the project as a clear example of how climate action translates into economic benefit, stating, “What’s good for the planet is good for your pocket.3 That’s true of households. That’s true of countries. That’s true of local councils.”
The local Member for Bennelong, Jerome Laxale, highlighted that the move is expected to save the Council hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in power bills, which had recently increased by 40%. Laxale noted the savings would allow the Council to increase the pool’s opening hours, which currently close in winter due to running costs, and help meet their net-zero targets.
Electrification- “Win, Win, Win”
Minister Bowen positioned the funding—part of a national program benefitting 23 councils across NSW—as “practical, pragmatic, focused action” that reduces both bills and emissions.
“This is win, win, win,” he said, noting the savings could be reinvested into the community. He added that the program was oversubscribed, demonstrating the appetite among local councils to decarbonise.
Bowen Attacks Opposition’s Energy Stance
The Minister pivoted sharply to national energy politics, dedicating a large portion of the press conference to criticising the Liberal-National Coalition’s recent decision to drop their legislated net-zero targets and prioritise all energy technologies, including coal and nuclear, for the sake of “cheaper power.”
“One group that’s not getting on with it, and they’re not getting on with themselves, is the Opposition, who’ve just decided to count themselves out of this national conversation,” Minister Bowen said.
He accused the Opposition of disputing both the science and the economics, stating their policy amounts to nothing. “They want less of the cheapest form of power and more of the most expensive,” he argued, calling their strategy a “blancmange of hypocritical, contradictory, internally inconsistent statements.”
When challenged by a journalist that the Opposition’s “cheaper power at all costs” message could resonate with Australians, the Minister doubled down, claiming the Coalition’s plan would actually deliver the opposite.
Tomago Smelter & Power Price Promises
Responding to questions from a SKY Journalist about the struggling Tomago Aluminium Smelter, Mr Bowen acknowledged the community concern about jobs but rejected the Opposition’s claim that the renewable transition was hurting manufacturing.
He instead quoted Tomago’s Chief Executive, who cited difficulty in securing competitive coal contracts and a lack of confidence in enough renewables coming through as the reasons for the smelter’s challenges.
“They want more renewables, that’s what they said,” the Minister stressed, referring to the Rio Tinto-majority-owned smelter. He confirmed the government is engaged in “sensible discussions” with Tomago but refused to negotiate potential subsidies publicly.
On the government’s promise to significantly bring down power prices, Mr Bowen pointed to substantial reductions in the wholesale price—down 27% in the last quarter—and stated the government has “more work to do to make sure they flow through to retail prices.”
“I think Australians had their say in May… The Australian people told us to get on the job, that’s what we’re doing,” he concluded, referring to the recent election result.
