Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

It is great to be able to put a few things on the record in relation to the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment Bill 2015 and its impact on my home state of Tasmania. I thank people for allowing me to have that opportunity. As people would be aware, Tasmania has approximately 86 per cent of renewable energy at any time. We have approximately 1,500 to 2000 people employed in renewable energy jobs in Tasmania. So it is already a very significant industry in Tasmania. We have several possible wind farm projects—Cattle Hill, Robbins Island, King Island and Granville Harbour—and I would hope that at least one of these projects will now be able to go ahead because of the Renewable Energy Target being agreed to.

Approximately 50 per cent of Tasmania's electricity is used by just four big companies—Bell Bay Aluminium, TEMCO, Nyrstar and Norske Skog. These industries are emissions-intensive and trade-exposed industries, so I am particularly pleased that both sides of politics have agreed to exempt these businesses, ensuring the workers at Bell Bay and other major industries in Tasmania are safe. I want to thank in particular the shadow minister for environment, the member for Port Adelaide, and the shadow minister for industry for their support for these jobs in my home state of Tasmania.

We have also seen the government suddenly raise with Labor at the last minute the issue of including biomass in the Renewable Energy Target. This is a real furphy. Labor does not support biomass—that is, the burning of native forest residue—in the RET. But let me be very clear that that does not mean we do not support the future of the forest industry in Tasmania and the possibility of biomass in that future. As I have said publicly and as I say to my constituents, I have not been lobbied by anyone in the lead-up to, or since, the last election on the need for biomass to be included in the RET. I have not seen a viable project for biomass in Tasmania. I am not aware of any biomass projects that would see employment in this sector in Tasmania.

I will work with our shadow minister for forestry on the future of the forest industry in Tasmania, the role biomass might play, what support it would require and what supports for industry Labor may be able to provide. This issue has been a smokescreen in Tasmania to disguise the fact that the state Liberal government is currently sacking forestry workers after it said it would save the industry in Tasmania. It has recently told more than 50 forestry workers they would be sacked, and also the head of Forestry Tasmania has confirmed that it may need to sell off things to keep the industry afloat in the state because it is in big trouble. The Liberal government said they could save the industry, and they have not.

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