Key events
Elections are – at least in part – battles over whose message wins the day. And today’s message battle is between solar batteries and international students.
Peter Dutton has announced today that under the Coalition, foreign student intakes will be cut by 80,000, in a plan aimed at reducing demand for housing.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the move will see a percentage cap, believed to be around 25%, set on universities, VET, and the higher education sector, and will reduce the number of new international students from 320,000 in 2023 to around 240,000.
Dutton said on Sunday morning that the number of international students has contributed to driving up of rents, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne
Speaking about the announcement in Melbourne this morning, Peter Dutton said:
International student numbers are up by 65% under this government over the last 12 months,” said Dutton. “We [will] put in place a cap which will be 30,000 lower than what Labor has in place or 80,000 lower than what the numbers were just a couple of years ago. This is a very significant step that we’re taking. It is all about making sure that we do what we can to help young Australians get into home ownership more quickly and how we can help with the rental crisis that Labor’s created as well.
Peter Dutton has come out swinging against the government’s battery announcement.
Speaking in Melbourne, the opposition leader says that the announcement from the prime minister that his government will make batteries for rooftop solar cheaper for households and small businesses was “an admission that he’s going to have to compensate people with batteries because his power prices will go up in the next term of government.”
“I just think people will see through it,” says Dutton. “Prices are going to go up for electricity under a re-elected Albanese government. And I don’t think Australians can afford that.”
Dutton is pointing back to Anthony Albanese’s promise during the last election campaign that if elected power bills would come down by $275.
“Do you know that since he’s been elected, he will not mention that figure… But it’s not just your household power bill that’s gone up. It’s also the local IGA store, and it’s the local butcher, and it’s the local corner store. That’s why grocery prices have gone up by 30% and it’s just having an inflationary impact across the community.”
Dutton is pointing to the Coalition’s’ mooted gas policy as an alternative for voters to consider. There have been criticisms that this policy is light on the detail and that it’s unclear if the plan will actually flow on to assist consumers with lower prices. (We also have a fantastic episode of Full Story in which environment editor Adam Morton lays out what we know about the Coalition’s gas plan and what it could mean for consumers, that I highly recommend).
But Dutton concludes the energy chat during his doorstop in Melbourne by saying: “We’ll have more to say about electricity prices over the coming months, over the coming weeks.”
Good morning
Welcome to our live blog for today.
Energy looks to once again be the theme of the day, as the government announces that if re-elected it will make batteries cheaper for households, small businesses and community facilities – reducing the cost of the typical home battery by 30%, starting from 1 July.
This is a something that our reporter Dan Jervis-Brady exclusively revealed last month, but we have the official announcement today.
The government says that according to analysis by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, a household with existing rooftop solar could save up to $1,100 off their power bill every year, and a household installing a new solar and a battery system could save up to $2,300 a year – around 90% off a typical family electricity bill.
Australia has one of the highest take-ups in the world of rooftop solar power, with 4m installations across the country. One in three Australian households now have sola, but only one in forty households have a battery.
The government’s announcement plans to change that.
Small businesses and community facilities will also be able to access the subsidy, with support for up to 50 kWh of batteries sized up to 100 kWh eligible.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese said:
Labor’s number one priority is delivering cost of living relief. That’s why we want to make sure Australians have access to cheaper, cleaner energy.
This is good for power bills and good for the environment. Only Labor has a plan to build Australia’s future.
Full story is here
