Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Curtin for bringing this motion on this most important issue, on decarbonised industries. The climate crisis and the actions we can take to help abate the effects of climate change should never be far from our minds in this place. Sometimes members in this parliament, particularly conservative members, seek to minimise the role that Australia, with our moderate population, can play in this field. I believe not only that we can play a leadership role globally but that we must.

When the US passed the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022 it was a welcome challenge to the world, indicating that the US was now serious about taking climate action and that other countries now needed to step up. This 47th Parliament had only just sat for the first time. In that same month we passed the Climate Change Act legislating our net zero target. But the member for Curtin says that Australia is lagging. And we have lagged, but we are now catching up, thanks to the changes, initiatives and investments the Albanese Labor government is making.

The main reason we lag in this area of policy, though, is the coalition and their failure to accept climate science and to base policy on evidence. They voted against the Climate Change Bill, and no serious voter should ever vote for the coalition until they get their heads straight on this. The Greens can take some of the blame, too, for playing their silly politics years ago. Greens voters should think about that. And every one of us, representatives and voters alike, need to take our share. In 1987 science minister Barry Jones stood in this place, down the hill, and stated clearly that planning and taking action on climate change then would avoid danger into the future.

As the member says, we have an abundance of natural resources. The work Geoscience Australia has been doing needs to be mentioned in this regard. Last week Minister Madeleine King and Geoscience launched the world-leading Digital Atlas of Australia, which provides access to datasets on Australia's geography, people, economy and the environment. This follows the work by Geoscience and Monash University which won the Eureka Prize for Sustainability Research in 2023. And I agree with the member for Curtin that the approvals process needs to be examined and streamlined. The environment minister's approach is to strengthen our protection of the environment while providing certainty and speedier processes for industry.

Fortunately, generally mining companies now do engage with Indigenous owners at the outset of exploration and development, which assists in approval processes. Two excellent examples are the MOU signed between Rio Tinto and the Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation for collaboration on renewable energy projects in the Pilbara and an agreement between InterContinental Energy and the Mirning people, with Mirning Green Energy a 10 per cent stakeholder in the Western Green Energy Hub proposal. The key here will be cooperation between federal, state and local authorities, which the Future Made in Australia policy outlines.

I agree too with the member for Curtin that investor confidence for renewable projects could be better. Confidence only comes after there is clear leadership, so it is no surprise that this has had to be built up largely from scratch over the last two years. The most helpful thing in this space would be for the coalition to embrace our net zero targets and get behind our Future Made in Australia policies. Perhaps the next leader of the coalition will manage that.

Nevertheless, industry has already started to pivot its operations, and government leadership has made a difference to this. Centurion, one of the country's biggest transport companies, based in my electorate of Hasluck, is delivering a $29 million project to integrate 30 battery-electric trucks to its existing fleet, powered by solar generation and off-grid battery energy storage. Supported by ARENA's investment of $15.8 million, Centurion will install charging equipment, integrated energy generation and storage infrastructure at their Hazelmere depot in Perth, a great example which I'm sure others will follow. Woodside, who I used to work for, has come a long way since I worked there. Woodside has 70 projects afoot to help decarbonise their operations. They have proposed a hydrogen and ammonia plant at Kwinana and are progressing a 50-megawatt solar project near Karratha with battery storage, which will have the capacity to expand to 500 megawatts in the future to meet demand to electrify their gas plant. Rio Tinto and BHP too are moving ahead with battery-electric haul truck trials.

So the measures delivered in this budget do create a positive investment environment and include the establishment of a new front door for investors and streamlining approvals. It brings together our work in both climate change and industry portfolios, and I hope all support it.

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