Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak against this private members' motion by the member for Fairfax. I do so as someone who actually lives in a coal region—who lives, works and has generations of family who have worked in coal and coal-fired power stations. The member for Fairfax would do well to get his facts right. It was the former Liberal government that spent 10 years putting their heads in the sand, attacking and blocking renewable energy and, indeed, every energy policy possible. They denied climate change even existed and refused to act on the urgent need for decarbonisation and diversification of our economy. After 22 attempts to land an energy policy in government, and failing every single time, going nuclear is now the only idea we get from those opposite.

In April, following the scheduled closure of the Liddell Power Station—and let's not forget: those opposite knew the closing dates of every single one of these coal-fired power stations while they were in government for 10 years and did nothing—the coalition rushed to the scene to announce their vision for the Hunter, with a proposal to go nuclear. That was their response. Indeed, they are proposing 80 small nuclear reactors around Australia, blind to the research that shows nuclear is too expensive, too inflexible and way too slow. The member for Fairfax is happy to spruik nuclear, but I am yet to meet anyone who wants a nuclear reactor next to their local school. Nuclear energy is not the future, so let's get real. Our community wants policy certainty and an investment in renewables, the cheapest and most reliable form of energy. Make no mistake: the former Liberal government abandoned the people of Newcastle and the Hunter, the regions that have powered Australia for generations, and all they had to say was, 'Nothing to see here.'

Well, those days are over. The Albanese Labor government has a considered, coordinated plan to transform our energy system and broaden our industrial base. The 2023-23 budget provides an additional $4 billion to position Australia as a renewable energy superpower, taking our total investment in this ambition to more than $40 billion. We know Australia's biggest opportunity for growth and prosperity is the global shift to clean energy. It's good for the environment, good for power bills and good for jobs. We want to ensure that no-one is left behind; that that carbon-intensive regions—like Newcastle and the Hunter, which have powered Australia for generations—will continue to power us for the future.

After a decade of inaction, we are getting on with the job. The Albanese Labor government are fixing the mess left behind by those opposite. We're establishing the Hydrogen Headstart initiative, a $2 billion budget measure to scale up large-scale green hydrogen in Australia. We're investing $1.9 billion in the Powering the Regions Fund to make sure traditional and new industries in regional Australia harness the economic opportunities of decarbonisation. We're putting $14.8 million into establishing the Powering Australia Industry Growth Centre to support local manufacturing of renewable energy technology. We're investing in offshore wind, including a proposed offshore wind zone for the Hunter region, an exciting opportunity for Newcastle to ensure large-scale, reliable and clean electricity for decades to come. We're investing a hundred million dollars to ensure hydrogen readiness at the port of Newcastle, supporting regions like ours to become a renewable energy superpower and meet our emissions reduction targets. We're investing $16 million to establish a new energy skills hub at the University of Newcastle. Our Powering Australia plan will deliver 82 per cent renewable energy by 2030, while our $20 billion Rewiring the Nation program will unlock investment in Australia's electricity grid and deliver more priority transition projects. This will grow and modernise our electricity grid and boost energy performance. We're legislating a national Net Zero Authority, we've got our energy price relief plan underway, we've made reforms to the safeguard mechanism to support industry and increase emissions efficiency while maintaining competitiveness in the global economy.

As the member for Newcastle, I know full well how important it is to be prepared as we move towards a decarbonised economy. The Albanese government have a considered, coordinated plan that will ensure Newcastle and the Hunter are poised to take full advantage of the new energy industries. We are going to do the job that was left to us.

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