Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I thank my honourable friend for that question. She's a passionate advocate for new energy jobs in the regions. The member for Newcastle and her Hunter colleagues know the opportunities that this policy provides for Australia because they are living those opportunities. They're living them, like at the Liddell Power Station, where the Australian company SunDrive, in response to our Future Made in Australia policy, has announced their plans to open a manufacturing facility. That site will employ more people than were ever employed at the Liddell Power Station.

They are the opportunities that we, the Albanese government, are seizing on the nation's behalf, and last week I had the opportunity to see more of those opportunities. In Adelaide, for example, 5B and Tindo Solar are two great Australian solar companies that will be expanding and creating jobs in response to our Solar Sunshot policy, announced in the budget, and in Gladstone I can see the hydrogen opportunities. Of course, Gladstone is a green hydrogen hub under this government, as are Whyalla, Bell Bay and other sites around the country. These are the opportunities that our regions have, and we make no apologies for concentrating on those regions that are going through economic change—for example, where coal-fired power stations will close. The honourable member asked me about what policies we'll reject.

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