Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

(9) Clause 16, page 18 (lines 3 to 6), omit subclause (2), substitute:

(2) In performing the Authority's functions, the Authority should prioritise communities, regions, industries and workers that are or will be:

(a) in areas recognised by the Australian Energy Market Operator as renewable energy zones; or

(b) otherwise significantly affected by Australia's transition to a net zero emissions economy.

(10) Page 21 (after line 28), after clause 19, insert:

19A Board must prepare annual work plan

(1) The Board must prepare and give to the Minister a work plan, in writing, for each financial year beginning on or after the commencement of this Act.

(2) The work plan for a financial year must set out:

(a) the main activities proposed to be undertaken by the Authority and the Board for the financial year and for the following 2 financial years, including activities relating to:

(i) the scheme prescribed for the purposes of section 68AD (the developer rating scheme); and

(ii) local energy hubs (see Part 5B); and

(iii) community benefit plans (see Part 5C);

(b) how those activities are proposed to be undertaken.

Note: For example, the work plan could include the following activities relating to Australia's transition to a net zero emissions economy:

(a) capacity building in regions to guide future economic development;

(b) working with State-based regional transition authorities on particular activities;

(c) funding and facilitating the development and delivery of regional strategies to improve economic diversification.

Consultation on a draft work plan

(3) Before giving the Minister a work plan for a financial year, the Board must:

(a) prepare a draft of the work plan and give it to the Minister, the States, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory; and

(b) cause the draft work plan to be published on the Department's website; and

(c) invite all interested bodies or persons to give the Authority written comments on the draft work plan within:

(i) 90 days after the invitation is given; or

(ii) such longer period as advised by the Authority.

The Board may also consult with any other person that the Board considers appropriate about the draft work plan.

(4) In preparing a work plan for a financial year, the Board must have regard to any comments given under paragraph (3)(c) in relation to the draft of the work plan.

Tabling and publishing a work plan

(5) The Minister must table each work plan in each House of the Parliament within 7 sitting days of that House after receiving the work plan under subsection (1).

(6) The Board must cause each work plan to be published on the Department's website as soon as practicable after giving it to the Minister.

(7) A work plan prepared under subsection (1) is not a legislative instrument.

(11) Clause 20, page 22 (after line 16), at the end of the clause, add:

(5) A direction under subsection (1) must be consistent with this Act (including the object of this Act), with the Board's functions and with the Authority's functions.

(16) Clause 69, page 68 (line 5), after "including", insert "the Authority's budget".

(17) Page 69 (before line 2), before clause 70, insert:

69A Minimum 10-year budget for the Authority

(1) If, by the end of the 6-month period beginning on the day this Act commences, no Commonwealth law sets out a budget for the Authority for each of the first 10 financial years starting on or after that commencement, the Minister must cause to be prepared a written report explaining the reasons why.

(2) The Minister must table the report in each House of the Parliament within 7 sitting days of that House after the end of that 6-month period.

These amendments really should be noncontroversial. These amendments are housekeeping, actually. They require the authority to undertake an annual work plan. That's good practice. These are sensible, non-controversial amendments. It's what the government 's owner Jobs and Skills Australia does so the public knows what the work is that this taxpayer funded body actually does.

These amendments require a long-term budget for the authority. Again, this isn't a first-time idea. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the National Reconstruction Fund all have legislated budgets. I would argue that, if the authority is such an important pillar in our transition to net zero, it should be guaranteed funding for 10 years. I understand that this government has a strong ambition for the Net Zero Economy Authority. We're coming into an election period. Who's to say who will be the next government? I would say to this government: Lock it in. Make sure that the Net Zero Economy Authority is set up to succeed, whoever is sitting in that chair.

These amendments would also ensure that the authority supports communities in renewable energy zones. This really is just so obvious to me. If we have a renewable energy zone determined in an area, this bill should apply to people in that area. It's a really obvious but important amendment. The government like to talk about these renewable energy zones. They talk about them frequently. These are the areas across regional Australia that the Australian Energy Market Operator has identified as renewable-rich areas with the right infrastructure and transmission. There are two of them in my electorate. But residents in my electorate and others like it are not having a REZ explained to them at all. I really can't believe there's not one mention of renewable energy zones in a bill whose objects include 'facilitating the achievement of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets' and 'ensuring Australia's regions and workers are supported in relation to, and benefit from, Australia's transition to a net zero emissions economy'. If REZs aren't in the bill, then I ask the government: what do you think their role is in the net zero economy? I ask that with great conviction.

My amendments add a provision which ensures that the minister's directions to the authority must not contradict the objects of the bill. Again, this is really tight housekeeping that future-proofs and protects this bill. It feels like an obvious amendment to me.

The transition to a future powered by clean energy is going to take more than a couple of election cycles. We must ensure that the authority is used for its intended purpose and is not used as a vehicle to pursue political aims. I hope people are listening at home, because we have seen this happen before. I don't want to see that record played over again. Quite frankly, I don't. I want to see this authority set up for the long term and to succeed.

Finally, I want to thank those individuals and organisations that have made such fulsome contributions to the Senate inquiry on this bill. Many of these have informed the amendments that I have put to the parliament today. One of the great joys of being an independent is to be able to look at those submissions really carefully and to engage with the community that I represent and to engage with civil society organisations who are really interested in good policy. So, in particular, I want to thank the RE-Alliance group, the Grattan Institute, the Australian Institute, the Australian Council of Social Service and Next Economy. I urge the government: do your housekeeping. I urge them to support these very sensible and modest amendments.

See this speech in context