Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I wish to speak today on the issue of renewable energy. This is an issue where there has been considerable debate, and I truly believe there is bipartisan agreement on the benefits of renewable energy, even though some members in this chamber do not necessarily acknowledge the existence of climate change.

Our Pacific region is well placed to take advantage of increased renewable technology. I am aware that a lot of collaborative effort is going on between Australian and Pacific companies in rolling out renewable energy technologies. In particular, I acknowledge that the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership, REEEP, is working with some of our Pacific partners, such as Tonga, and development agencies to encourage private sector investment in renewable energy technology.

Australia is a strong member of the Pacific community and contributes more resources than other partners in terms of developing technologies in that space. Anything we can do to assist our partners in increasing the renewable energy consumption should be encouraged. A good example of the work of REEEP is the Tongan Energy Road Map, which promotes a 50 per cent renewable energy target by 2020, which is a great economic outcome for a country that is so petroleum dependent. Renewable energy investment is often characterised as a luxury item for First World economies, but in fact it is one of the foundations of development. Clean and affordable energy is the key to long-term poverty reduction, with sustainable energy offering developing societies the opportunity to improve their standards of living, take control of their future and enjoy the choices and opportunities afforded to those with access to reliable power.

In some Pacific nations, 70 per cent of people do not have access to energy, though their nations spend up to 60 per cent of their export earnings on fossil fuel imports. With rising oil prices and global recession, if they reduce their dependency on fossil fuels it will certainly make them better off for the future. Countries developing now have the advantage of doing so with greater awareness of sustainable development and have the opportunity to do so by learning from the environmental mistakes of the more developed nations. This is an issue that I have raised in the parliament with the Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs and it is one that I will continue to closely follow.

The undertakings of organisations such as REEEP are to be encouraged, and I wish them well in their future endeavours in the Pacific region.

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