Patrick Gorman (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member Indi, who I would hope almost all in this place would acknowledge does engage deeply with her community, brings their voice here, acts in their interest and engages deeply in these complex questions of the energy transition—not just the questions that are in front of us in this bill but also the questions that are in front of us across a range of pieces of work of government. The member Indi stole my line, which is that the government will not be supporting these amendments, but we are committed, and I want to emphasise the government's commitment to ensuring communities impacted by the rollout of major infrastructure are properly consulted and to ensuring community expectations surrounding engagement, planning and community benefits are met.

We welcome the advocacy, but it is the government's view that the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner—not the Net Zero Economy Authority—is the best place for this work to be done. That's why in the 2024-25 budget we included $18.2 million to enhance the role of the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner, including implementing recommendations of the recent community engagement review. I emphasise that because it shows that much of that work—particularly on community consultation for new infrastructure—is already under way. That work and that review includes establishing and developing a ratings scheme and fast-tracking the delivery of direct bill relief and other community benefits to regions most affected by renewable infrastructure developments. This is one of the many reasons the government is not supporting these amendments.

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