Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The shift to net zero is happening, and in Australia, along with the rest of the world, we're reducing greenhouse gas emissions so we reach net zero by the middle of the century. As a fossil fuel based economy, this is a big change. We see enormous opportunity in this change for jobs and for industry advantage. The Net Zero Economy Authority is to ensure that we're looking after Australia's workers and the regions as we transform from a fossil fuel based economy to a renewable energy superpower.

It's an economic change, but it will have social impacts. The way we navigate the change is just as important as the destination. The authority on behalf of government will partner with industry and investors in getting big transformational projects happening, projects that decarbonise our industrial facilities, that build new industries and grow the future economic base for regions like the Hunter and, of course, my neighbour Lithgow. The authority will support workers in these communities where ageing power stations will be retired through the change, especially where the change may be significant. Working with employers, unions and others, it will ensure that we are making good use of a highly skilled workers that we need more of in this net zero economy.

The Net Zero Economy Authority complements more than $40 billion in government initiatives to reduce emissions and become a renewable energy superpower. They are things like our Rewiring the Nation program to modernise the electricity grid so it can get renewables from where they are generated to our homes; the Powering the Regions Fund, which will help existing industries decarbonise and support the new clean energy industries; the Critical Minerals Facility, to grow that critical minerals production sector that is so crucial as we go forward; the Hydrogen Headstart program supporting development of large-scale renewable hydrogen projects; and of course the National Reconstruction Fund to diversify and transform our industries in this net zero economy.

These are all crucial steps, but you can't fully achieve net zero without workers. It's absolutely essential that we develop the clean energy workforce. The Albanese Labor government is investing $91 million over five years to help skill Australia's clean energy workforce. We announced that in the budget. That includes things like $50 million for a new capital and equipment investment fund for facility upgrades to expand clean energy training capacity across wind, solar, pumped hydro, grid battery storage, electricity networks and hydrogen, as well as key electrical and construction trades. Funding will be directed to facilities where lack of capacity is actually preventing people from entering apprenticeships. Regional, rural and remote communities experiencing workforce transitions will also be targeted. This ensures that the opportunities arising from the net zero transition are shared around the country.

Another of our initiatives—previous speakers have just talked about how important this workforce is—is $30 million to turbocharge the vocational education and training teacher, trainer and assessor workforce for clean energy. We need to make sure we have enough teachers to train that workforce. We will focus on making it easier for skilled professionals to move between working in industry and teaching at registered training organisations.

As we go through this transition we are also providing support for small and medium businesses taking on clean energy construction and manufacturing apprentices as priority occupations for access to the group training organisation services, with up to $1,500 in annual reimbursements over the apprenticeship. These small to medium organisations have a part to play.

This particular bill sits at the heart, but there is a suite of things that go with it as we move towards net zero. I've talked about the workforce, but what I really want to emphasise is the opportunities that this creates for young workers. The Net Zero Economy Authority will be really looking at the workers who transition from the old energy-heavy and energy-intense industries into the new energy ones. But there are also opportunities for young workers. The expansion of our Energy Apprenticeship Program will provide apprentices with up to $10,000 to help with the cost-of-living pressures they face. The expansion of this program means more clean energy apprentices can be in training to support the transition to net zero from 1 June this year. Young people around Australia will be encouraged to take up clean energy opportunities, helping them secure jobs of the future and support this transformation.

That is the people aspect—because none of it happens without the people—but then there are a whole lot of strategies that sit alongside this. In the past couple of weeks we launched the National Battery Strategy—again, one of the new areas where we know we can have an advantage. The National Battery Strategy is part of our Future Made in Australia plan and shores up our economic resilience and security. We know the global demand for batteries is going to quadruple by 2030 as the world transitions to net zero. The strategy maps a path for Australia to take advantage of this growth and to build a thriving battery industry. The strategy identifies four high-value strategic opportunities. One is around stationary storage. That is building the systems to firm renewable power generation in the grid and for communities, businesses and homes—the batteries that all look different but sit around our homes and bigger versions around our industries. We also have an opportunity to provide battery active materials to the world by upgrading raw minerals into processed battery components and to strengthen those supply chains. We can also leverage our world-leading know-how to build safer and more secure batteries that connect to the grid.

The fourth opportunity we have is building batteries for our transport manufacturing industry, including heavy vehicle manufacturing. We are a pioneer of battery technology but, over many decades, we have sent our know-how offshore and lost the jobs that they create. We really need to move beyond that dip-and-ship economy and become what we can be—that is, a key player in the market.

As we think about this move to an economy that is net zero, one of the key considerations we have is around consumers and how they will be protected. We are helping Australians by pushing bills down as we shift into delivering clean, cheap and reliable renewables. That is why we are extending energy bill relief. The $3.5 billion to do that recognises that our economy has not shifted enough into renewables, which are of course the cheapest form of energy. We are also looking at $47 million over four years for energy reforms that put consumers first, including things that allow consumers to switch to a cheaper energy deal. We are unlocking greater savings from Australia's world-leading uptake of consumer energy resources, such as rooftop solar, batteries and electric vehicles, which could avoid $10 billion in network costs alone for consumers as they switch. We are investing in the Australian Energy Regulator to boost capacity and information for households on what their energy choices are, as well as reviewing electricity market laws to ensure consumers can be protected from misconduct.

They are some of the initiatives that sit alongside a bill that creates an authority to oversee so much of this transition. But at the heart of the Net Zero Economy Authority are people. The sooner we invest in integrating our consumer energy resources like our batteries and our solar into the grid, the faster we will see the benefits. I should mention that the new vehicle efficiency standard is also going to save Australians $95 billion at the bowser and reduce transport emissions. These are all really key parts in this transition to a net zero economy, a transition that is happening now. It's not one that is coming but one that we are already in the process of making happen.

I am going to make one last point, and that is about the alternatives that have been brought up. When we look at this Net Zero Economy Authority, the one thing it won't be doing is looking at nuclear. The costings show us that nuclear is the most risky, most expensive option that we have. Instead, the Albanese government is getting on with the job, with record investments in renewables, batteries and large-scale storage and the most affordable options for Australians—clean, cheap, reliable, renewable energy to create a resilient system that Australians deserve.

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