After opening statements, moderator Tom Connell asks the first questions.

QUESTION:

Mr Bowen, before the last election you pledged energy bills to be $235 cheaper by the end of the term. What price pledge can you offer for this election, not compared to any coalition policies are compared to the latest forecast prices, will they go up or down?

CHRIS BOWEN:

The pledge I give is that energy prices will be cheaper underwriters than under Mr O’Brien. That is the pledge. That is what we can state categorically based on the two plans. Anybody who predicts energy prices in this complicated geopolitical environment, I think, is making a punt so I will not do that.

QUESTION:

You have made a price pledge, 7% reduction on household gas bills, 3-person electricity, to be clear on measure, is that cheaper than the latest forecast prices and when do we measure it by, is it by the final year of a term in office if the Coalition wins power?

TED O’BRIEN:

Tom, the analysis done independently by Frontier economics looks at the 25, 26 year. That is the basis upon which those estimates are made. 50% lower gas prices for industry, seven December household. — 15% top. It is notable that I can actually give you those figures because unlike Chris’s answer to you just then, they don’t have anything. They’ve done no modelling. His decision-making is based on gut.