Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Australia is dealing with the consequences of a decade of chaos, denial and delay on energy security and action on climate change by the previous government, a decade which saw a staggering four gigawatts of dispatchable capacity exit the energy system with a mere one gigawatt entering to replace those losses. It's a failure that left the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to deliver a scathing assessment of the former government by stating, 'The Liberals past failure to deal with this reality left our energy sector in disarray.' It's a decade of inaction that the ACCI said meant that Australian businesses and households were now paying the price of the inaction of those opposite. From failing to act on energy security to hiding price rises from the public, these actions—or lack of action—of the former government paint a clear picture of a government that was not serious about addressing energy security or delivering cheaper energy for Australians. Their legacy is one of denial and neglect, resulting in a loss of capacity and surging energy costs, and seeking, yet again, to blame the new government for the consequences of their actions.

But this isn't really about energy security to them. This is just another way for them to deny and delay the move to renewable energy and for our government to continue to take genuine climate action. A reminder to everyone, particularly to those opposite: renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy available today. And we know this because the CSIRO and the Australian Energy Market Operator say so. In April 2023, AEMO said:

Renewable energy is driving down the wholesale cost of energy, setting new records for minimum demand for electricity from the grid and driving emissions to record lows …

That's lower costs and record low emissions.

Despite this reality, we have an opposition that's entrenched in an anti-renewable fantasy. They constantly seek to delay the roll out of renewable energy, grasping at any argument and any solution they can find. Their opposition to renewable energy isn't only just ideological but an extension of their decade's long opposition to taking meaningful climate action. The urgency of addressing climate change requires immediate and sustained action, not further delays, not further distraction.

In June this year we saw the former Deputy Prime Minister rallying anti-renewables groups on the steps of Parliament House. In last year's budget reply, we saw the Leader of the Opposition calling for nuclear power in Australia, despite the fact that experts over and over have continually made it clear that nuclear is incapable of delivering the solutions that we need today. Those opposite would prefer that we invest in technology that doesn't exist over technology that does exist. They live in a fantasy, rather than in reality. The Leader of the Opposition continues to vote against legislation aimed at reducing emissions and reducing power prices.

The Sunrise Project's 2022 Climate compass report reveals that four in five Australians are deeply concerned about climate change. Notably, the concern for climate change and the continued use of coal, oil and gas has been steadily increasing. According to the same report a remarkable 71 per cent of Australians agree that climate change is an issue that demands immediate action and 70 per cent acknowledge that Australia is already experiencing the effects of climate change. Perhaps the most compelling statistic is that 76 per cent of Australians agree that in the future our country should rely on renewable energy more than it currently does.

It is clear Australians are not just concerned about climate change but are actively supporting the transition to renewable energy, and that's why Australians voted for a government that will take climate action, with renewable energy infrastructure at the centre of that action. And we're delivering it. Minister Plibersek is approving more than double the amount of renewable energy projects than her predecessor. Only an hour ago there was announcement for another solar farm, this one's in Marulan, that will power 56,000 homes without disrupting farming activities. Projects like these will help us get to 82 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

Minister Bowen is making up for a decade of inaction from the Liberals. He's delivering $20 billion for infrastructure needed to transmit this renewable energy to areas that need it. Those opposite didn't fund the connection of Snowy Hydro to the grid. We're fixing that. We're delivering $1.3 billion in funds to help homes electrify, helping them take advantage of free or cheap renewable energy to power their homes. We're getting on with the job with a plan for cheaper energy and renewable energy.

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