THE Albanese government is determined to ram through its energy cost relief bill despite widespread complaints about a lack of detail and consultation, with parliament to sit for a single day on Thursday.
The proposed laws would cap the price of wholesale gas on the uncontracted spot market to $12 a gigajoule for 12 months, with a corresponding black coal cap of $125 a tonne on uncontracted power station coal.
The coal price cap could also directly help the cement industry, which is the other big domestic coal user apart from power stations.
The gas price cap is expected to have a broader application because about 60 per cent of domestic gas is household and industrial use.
Various industry experts have questioned the price caps, and the Newcastle Herald has pointed out since last week that most of our power station coal is already selling well under the cap price.
A plan to compensate coal companies for the cost of the cap has also irked the Greens, who say the potential $500 million payout is an intolerable taxpayer subsidy to the coal industry.
The Greens and the other cross-bench MPs will not be needed if the Coalition votes for the Bill.
Late today after a party room meeting Greens leader Adam Bandt said the party wanted a two-year freeze on power bills, while the federal government says prices will rise, but by $250 a year less than if they do not intervene.
The Greens want a UK-style windfall profits tax, which Labor is not expected to revisit, given the damage done to the party by a similar proposal under prime minister Kevin Rudd.
Earlier in the day, the opposition's energy spokesman, Ted O'Brien, said the coalition was "open minded" to the energy relief measures but was still sceptical about some of the plans put forward.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton described Labor's plan as an "intervention into the market, which is actually going to make it worse for families and for small businesses".
"What the government should be doing is putting more supply into the system, working with the companies, not against them, because I fear in this package that it's going to actually drive prices up," Mr Dutton said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said while the government was looking at long-term options to getting more supply in the market, the price caps would bring short-term relief to customers.
"It will allow for profits to continue to be made and it's a reasonable measure and it's a responsible measure," Mr Albanese said.
Hunter MP Dan Repacholi, who will leave for Canberra this afternoon, said it was important to immediately legislate the package to allow state and federal treasurers to administer the relevant relief packages as soon as possible.
The urgent recall of parliament comes despite the public having until February 7 to comment on an existing federal Treasury plan to "ensure the domestic wholesale gas market delivers for Australians".
The Treasury web page with the proposed gas reforms also contains the "exposure draft" of the proposed price cap legislation for Thursday, in the name of Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
Meanwhile, WA's coal shortage means it is now buying coal from Newcastle, according to the latest edition of the Australian Coal Report.
Perth power company Synergy, which owns WA's Collie and Muja power stations, said there were coal production issues at the Premier opencut mine, also at Collie in the state's south-west.
Premier was run by Yancoal, and Synergy had bought at least 100,000 tonnes of coal from Yancoal mines exporting through Newcastle.
And in the United Kingdom, England has just approved its first new coal mine for 30 years - for steelmaking or "metallurgical" coal, at Cumbria.
Critics say the new UK mine would undermine climate targets, and they argue that demand for coking coal is falling.
But supporters claim the mine, near the coastal town of Whitehaven, will create jobs and reduce the need to import coal.
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