Mr HUSIC (Chifley—Minister for Industry and Science) (15:02): It's terrific to get a great question from a huge supporter of Australian manufacturing, and thank you for that. The Albanese government believes in a future made in Australia. It's important for our longer-term economic and social good, and revitalising Australian manufacturing is a big part of that. Mr Ted O'Brien interjecting— The SPEAKER: The minister will pause. The member for Fairfax. I want to be clear. I can definitely hear what you are saying. I will ask you to cease interjecting. The minister, in continuation. Mr HUSIC: Thank you. But if we want that to happen, there are some things that we can do that can help in a very concrete way. To get the job done, Australian manufacturers need access to affordable energy, be it for food manufacturing in Spence, making steel in Cunningham or producing trucks in Oxley. Our energy price relief plan is really important for Australian manufacturers. That will help them get goods to market better. It's also going to protect jobs. It will put downward pressure on prices and take up the fight on inflation. When the global energy prices started to take off and you saw skyrocketing coal and gas prices, what did we get out of those opposite? We had 22 failed energy plans, and they actively conspired to hide price hikes from the Australian public. In the second quarter of 2022, the last quarter under those opposite, electricity prices paid by Australian manufacturers increased 60 per cent. By contrast, new figures released last week showed that the Albanese government's approach is working. AEMO predicted electricity prices for manufacturers would go up by nearly 33 per cent in the second quarter of this year, but last week they showed prices actually went down 1.5 per cent. The big take-out on this is that the actions of the government helped shield manufacturers from the worst of the price increases. Those actions: an energy price cap, price relief for households, a mandatory code of conduct that makes it easier for manufacturers and producers to strike up contracts. Mr Ted O'Brien interjecting— The SPEAKER: The member for Fairfax is warned. Mr Hogan interjecting— The SPEAKER: So is the member for Page. Mr HUSIC: Those opposite will puff out their chests and say, 'I'll go to Canberra and ask a question about energy price increases affecting manufacturers.' But here's a radical idea: why don't those opposite ever look those manufacturers in the eye? Why don't they have the guts to say they voted against the very energy price relief that would have helped those manufacturers? This is the standout quality of those opposite: they're never there with a solution but always there with a problem. Every single Liberal and National MP voted against energy price relief for manufacturers, just like every single Liberal and National MP refused to back Australian manufacturing by backing the National Reconstruction Fund. People who have seen through these guys have seen that they turn up only for a camera. They're never there with a solution but are always part of the problem. (Time expired)