Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome this critical step forward in Australia's transition towards net zero, which itself is necessary to tackle dangerous climate change. It's also necessary to ensure that Australia derives the greatest possible benefits from a global energy, technology and industrial transformation that is moving substantially and moving quickly. We can't afford to be left behind in that transformation. We've known for a long time, based on expert scientific advice and economic analysis, that making a swift, fair and well-planned transition will deliver the best economic outcomes, not to mention the best social and environmental outcomes. That's what this bill helps to deliver through the Net Zero Economy Authority.

It's a statement of the obvious to say that leading Australia through the global energy transformation requires serious, careful and comprehensive good management—an approach that was completely absent during the lost decade of coalition mismanagement, especially when it comes to energy policy. It wasn't just a complete policy vacuum, as the minister mentioned earlier today, there were 22 different draft energy policies, none of which ever landed. But it was often also an exercise in policy and program vandalism, and Australians shouldn't forget that in addition to never managing to land a single national energy policy, the coalition also tried to get rid of the foundational building blocks of clean energy transformation that Labor created during the Rudd-Gillard government, namely the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. The member for Casey before was talking about these things in a way that suggested he understood their value. He wasn't in the parliament when his colleagues on that side sought to defund them and get rid of them altogether.

Thankfully, the Albanese government is once again taking on the responsibility of leading Australia through the circumstances of a global transition that does present enormous opportunities, not least because we're a country that's blessed with the right critical minerals and the best renewable energy resources. We've got the chance before us—and, I would say, the obligation upon us—to set up Australia for a bright and sustainable future and for a future that is made in Australia by Australians for Australians. That's 100 per cent our focus. We're seeking to do that through a consultative and constructive approach. We'd love that to be constructive as far as the parliament as a whole. Clearly the coalition is continuing on with saying: 'We've got no ideas. We'll accept no reform. We'll accept no change. We're not interested in anything positive. We're not interested in anything constructive.' That's a shame.

At the heart of our approach is a set of arrangements developed in consultation with unions, industry and employers that in turn have shaped what is in effect a tripartite approach that will guide us along the best path as older industries are transformed and new enterprises emerge. This tripartite approach of government working collaboratively with unions and with industry and employers will mean that the changes we need to make will happen through a process that is open, consultative and fair. We'll ensure that workers and households in affected communities, especially rural and regional communities, where a lot of this transition will occur, have a clear voice in shaping that change.

On that point, I do want to acknowledge the strong and sustained advocacy, the unstinting and focused advocacy, of the labour movement with respect to the value of a tripartite approach, especially the AMWU's Steve Murphy and, from my home state of Western Australia, Steve McCartney; my very good friend, the ETU's Michael Wright; and, of course, the mighty ASU, AWU and MEU.

As I've said, the Net Zero Economy Authority, which this bill advances, will make a massive positive difference in shaping the transition that is already well underway. The need for this kind of coordination, advice, leadership and oversight has been understood for some time. Indeed, when the global community settled the Paris climate agreement back in 2016, the need to guide and manage the transition—what was described as a just transition—to net zero was set out clearly with expectations that signatory nations would put in place exactly what we are discussing today: an authority that can help guide the best form of the transition in all the sensible ways that will logically occur. That's what this authority will do.

It will provide leadership to ensure coordination and consistency in the design and implementation of policies and programs across a range of areas. As part of that, it will provide advice and reports on progress to the minister. It will facilitate and promote public and private sector investment in emission reduction and the full range of net zero transformation initiatives, harnessing what the CEFC has delivered—not taxpayer dollars going into initiatives but funds that are lent on a commercial basis and have delivered a very healthy return to government whilst enabling investment in and the development of these kinds of new initiatives.

The authority will support workers in affected industries, including with job matching and skills development through the implementation of the Energy Industry Jobs Plan, a task that needs to occur as we see some industries shift and change—coal-fired power, for example, which won't be a big part of Australia's future, while at the same time we see offshore wind and billions of dollars of work in the decommissioning of oil and gas as another offshore industry.

The authority will make sure that communities benefit from the transition and that they not just see these things occur but actually take up the opportunity to benefit directly from that transition, with a particular focus on First Nations communities. That is hugely welcome. The authority will also take on the broad work of raising awareness about what's involved in and promoting active engagement in various parts of our shift to net zero, helping people to understand the options, opportunities and benefits.

I'm sure that people in the community who hear about all those aspects of the Net Zero Economy Authority would think to themselves: 'Surely this is a no-brainer. Surely this is something we would have known was going to be necessary some time ago and we would have put in place as soon as possible.' Perhaps even on that basis, people might wonder, 'Has this kind of authority, this kind of function, occurred anywhere else?' The answer is: of course. In the United States, they have the American Jobs Plan, which was created back in 2021. In the United Kingdom, they have the UK Green Jobs Taskforce, which was launched back in 2020. Both of those had very similar functions in looking at the transformation that occurs when saying: 'This kind of activity will decrease and these other kinds of activities will increase. What workers are there in an area that is going to decrease? What are their opportunities in new initiatives? How do the skills that they have match?' In many cases, the analysis that was done that underpinned both the American jobs and the UK jobs taskforces said there was quite a large overlap between the skills in some of the industries that we will see less of as we get out of fossil fuels and those we'll need as we move towards a net zero economy. Some of the skills transferred very well into emerging industries like offshore wind, large-scale solar and storage and the decommissioning task in relation to offshore oil and gas that I have described.

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