News and politics live updates: Bowen unveils business solar boost under Small-Scale Renewable Energy Scheme

Chris Bowen has vowed to step up and take responsibility for the Labor government’s renewable energy targets if its ambitions continue to stall.

Labor’s plan to meet its 82 per cent renewables target by 2030 has been hit by concerns as it failed to deliver its 2022 election promise of cheaper electricity bills.

“They’re right to be concerned about high power. Power bills are higher than we would like. Higher than I would like. The answer to that is to work hard every day to get them down,” The Energy Minister said at the National Press Club.

“We are making very good progress on many elements of the transition. There’s others where we’re facing headwinds, which we’ve always been frank about … Australians knew that in 2025. They knew what we’d said in 2022. They knew our record and they asked us to keep going. And as I said, we accept that mandate.”

Asked if he would take personal responsibility in the event the 2030 targets were not met, Mr Bowen conceded “it’s on me”.

“Is it on me? Yes, that’s my job. I’m not famous for walking away from my responsibilities. I run into them, embrace them and do my best to deliver on them,” he added.

Chris Bowen has weighed in on the controversy surrounding an episode of the ABC’s Race Around the World.

A July 12 episode of the show featured a film made by contestant Kate McGuinness which included a “joke” about a stick being shoved “right up Gina Rinehart’s butt-hole, stirring it round, mixing her guts up nice and smooth, making her into one big sausage roll”.

While Mr Bowen conceded he had not seen the clip, he said he had read about it.

“It is not appropriate... and it should not have aired and the ABC should take appropriate action,” he told the National Press Club.

“No Australian, even an Australian I profoundly disagree with like Mrs Rinehart, should be subject to that sort of commentary.”

Mr Bowen was then asked if he believed the ABC ought to apologise for airing McGuinness’ film.

“They should take appropriate action up to and including and considering the message that they should send to Mrs Rinehart,” he replied.

“I believe in decent, respectful debate, and civil discourse, and that was not that.

“If the clip was as I read it, then yes, I expect an apology.”

While acknowledging that AI data centres were “huge consumers of electricity”, Chris Bowen called them “whales”.

He did so while addressing a proposed data centre in his electorate in Western Sydney which he said “would be one of the biggest data centres in the world”.

“Let me be clear on behalf of the Government - we welcome data centre investment, but only if it is in the best interests of our country,” he said.

“Data centres are welcome if they bring their own additional renewable energy.”

Mr Bowen said the Prime Minister would be outlining more details of the government’s approach “in coming weeks”.

Chris Bowen has announced an expansion of Australia’s Small-Scale Renewable Energy Scheme.

“This will slash the installation costs for commercial, industrial and agricultural buildings by around 20 per cent,” he said.

“Take for example, the installation of a 250 kilowatt system on a medium-sized enterprise like a retailer.

“Upfront, they could save around $68,000 on installation. Going forward, they could be generating around 345 megawatt-hours of electricity each year with a potential saving of $50,000 in annual electricity costs.

“A larger corporation might opt for an 850 kilowatt for a retail complex or logistics warehouse. The upfront discount for them will be around $230,000. And each year, they’d be generating 1,173 megawatt-hours, seeing savings of $175,000 in the energy bill.”

Mr Bowen added that he would request the Australian Energy Market Commission to consider a rule change to require network providers to approve commercial and industrial solar much more “expeditiously”.

Chris Bowen has spruiked Australia’s battery uptake during his address, comparing it to other countries around the globe.

He said nearly 2000 batteries were taken up “each and every working day” across Australia.

“In the last year, in just one year, Australian households and small businesses have installed 13 gigawatt hours of small-scale battery storage through the Cheaper Home Battery Program,” he said.

“Sounds like a reasonable amount; let’s put it in perspective: The United States installed 3.1 gigawatt hours of residential storage in all of 2025, bringing its total residential capacity to nine gigawatt hours.

“So in the last 12 months, Australians have installed more home battery capacity in one year than the United States of America has installed in its history.

“Another comparison - in last year, the entire European Union added 12.3 gigawatt hours of residential battery storage.”

During his National Press Club address Chris Bowen said the “quiet majority” of Australians were transitioning to renewable energy sources.

“The Australian people have expressed their views in two ways,” he said.

“In May last year, they expressed it by rejecting the plan to slow down our transition to renewable energy and wait for the most expensive form of energy, nuclear.

“They’re also expressing it every single day in the choices they’re making to install solar batteries and buy EVs.”

Energy Minister Chris Bowen was forced to defend the government’s approach to fuel security since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East.

Speaking at the National Press Club, Mr Bowen said other parties used “scare-mongering” tactics.

“When the Strait of Hormuz closed, politicians on the right wing said rationing was inevitable, and in some cases, demanded it immediately,” he said.

“We had a view that a calmer, more sensible approach was necessary.

“And as a result, Australia has more fuel today than we did when Iran was first bombed.

“I know the Opposition is disappointed about that; their breathless scaremongering has been proven to be exactly what it was.”

Energy Minister Chris Bowen is set to deliver a major address at the National Press Club today, where he is expected to outline the Federal Government’s energy agenda and face questions on some of the country’s biggest challenges, including power prices, the transition to renewables and energy security.

The speech comes as energy policy remains a key political battleground, with Mr Bowen expected to detail Labor’s vision for Australia’s energy future before taking questions from journalists.

Stay with The Nightly for live coverage and all the breaking news from the National Press Club.

The younger brother of a former state premier is answering to corruption allegations linked to his conservative Liberal Party faction.

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating alleged illicit political donations and branch-stacking spearheaded by the Reformers, a conservative Christian faction among state Liberals.

Jean-Claude Perrottet - brother of former NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet - is alleged to have solicited and accepted illegal political donations to fund the recruitment of like-minded members to the Liberal Party.

It is alleged he was seeking to gain power and influence pre-selections, in a process known as branch-stacking.

The now 29-year-old travelled to Fiji to avoid fronting a 2023 parliamentary inquiry established after the allegations first surfaced.

Read the full story here.

Resources Minister Madeleine King has defended Luke Gosling after he was charged for assaulting Northern Territory Administrator David Connolly last week.

Mr Gosling has denied the charges.

On Wednesday, Ms King said he was “hard-working” but did not answer when asked if he should remain in the position.

“Luke Gosling is a hard working local Member for Solomon,” she said.

“He works really hard in the interests of the people of Palmerston and Darwin, and also representing interests in defence, veterans’ affairs, and northern Australia.

“The matter is before court, so I will leave it at that.”