There are a bunch of interjections and points of order and it is all just so pointless.

Chalmers continues:

The numbers that we saw today which I ran through a moment ago, were monthly figures which were often impacted by a volatile and one-off factors and they were in this instance and the biggest influence on the number the Shadow Treasurer has mentioned is the timing of the energy bill rebates that we are providing on this side of the House which those opposite don’t want us to be provided. That does go to a very important difference, Mr Speaker.

This side of the House providing help with electricity bills. That side of the House trying to prevent it. If they had their way, energy prices would be higher. Let me give you numbers – electricity prices in July would have been 7.9% higher without the energy rebates we are rolling out with our state and territory colleagues.

Second point, the timing of rebates in Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania were the biggest contributor to the volatility and if this is the most important point, if you look at the official quarterly figures, electricity fell 6.2% through the year to the June quarter but they would have risen 1.7% without our rebates which was the course those opposite wanted, Mr Speaker.

…The member for fair can have as many nuclear meltdowns as he likes. The truth is we’re helping people with electricity bills. You’d prefer that we didn’t and that’s the difference.