David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I proudly rise to speak on this matter of public importance and in support of this government's leadership and initiative in the space of energy systems modernisation in this country. When talk about the Australian energy market, we have to remember that it was this coalition government, back in 2001, who first introduced the Renewable Energy Target. Back then, our renewable sectors only contributed eight per cent of our entire energy market. Today, with our government's initiatives in both clean energy and research and development, we have increased renewable electricity supply to 15 per cent. The coal industry used to provide 80 per cent of our overall electricity market; today it has fallen to 60 per cent. By 2020 the renewables market will have increased more than 23 per cent, an ambitious but achievable target.

The opposition seems to take issue with this government taking the reins and delivering outcomes that marry up not only on our international obligations in transitioning to a low emissions future, but are also economically viable and, more importantly, are actually delivering responsible, reliable and efficient energy to all Australians.

Recent events in South Australia demonstrate the case for a pragmatic approach to modernising our energy systems and balancing the pace at which we transition our energy markets. We must be doing our job, because the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Energy Council, Manufacturing Australia and the Grattan Institute all support this government's approach in providing stable, reliable and affordable energy. I am pleased to note the significant investment by this government through ARENA's grant funding as a key measure of support for the renewable energy industry, in particular Australia's large-scale solar PV industry, and facilitating our government's ability to meet that target.

In fact, in my rural electorate of Maranoa in Queensland, an electorate covering more than 42 per cent of the state, we have more than enough access to the sunshine. ARENA recently announced large-scale solar PV funding for 12 projects, two of which are in my electorate and are expected to commence construction as early as December this year.

The first is a $21 million investment in the Darling Downs Solar Farm in the southern part of my electorate, which will be constructed by Origin Energy in Dalby and will not only generate 110 megawatts of solar energy, but will deliver 550 new jobs to the Dalby community. The second is a $1.3 million support to the Longreach solar farm in the central west of my electorate, which will generate 15 megawatts of power and provide around 75 new jobs to the community of Longreach, a community significantly impacted by drought. Not only do we have these two projects ready for construction, we currently have a large-scale solar farm of 90 hectares in Barcaldine also underway in the central west of my electorate, where the energy generated will provide energy for more than 5,300 homes.

These projects are invaluable to the future development and modernisation of the solar industry in regional and rural Australia. The work that is being undertaken here will provide invaluable information on developing large-scale solar in areas located on the fringe of electricity grids, areas which can be disadvantaged by power outages brought about by network constraints, and of course the need for further infrastructure.

I think the opposition needs to convene with their state counterparts and reiterate the importance of a harmonised national approach between the state and federal governments to meeting our renewable energy targets. For example, this government is committed to reducing our emissions by 26 to 28 per cent by 2030, a target which is responsibly based on 2005 levels, and we remain on target to meet and beat our 2020 emissions reduction target by 78 million tonnes.

But in my home state the Queensland government has set a renewable energy target of 50 per cent by 2025. We know, and the federal Department of Environment and Energy has found, that the impact of the Queensland state government's target will be absolutely detrimental to the people in my home state, from the family households to farmers and other small businesses, community groups and organisations and larger enterprises in Queensland. If that irresponsible Renewable Energy Target remains in place, the Queensland state government will have to answer for their role in causing extreme electricity cost to Queenslanders, particularly those who are least able to afford it. If any government fails to consider the budget in this process, there will not be any money to provide supplements or compensation to anyone impacted by exorbitant electricity prices. Responsibly managing a diversifying renewable energy market means working with mother nature and our state and territory counterparts to provide efficient and effective primary and secondary energy sources.

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