Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Members opposite might want to listen to this. When you come from a region that actually does industry, a region that is well versed at generating, storing and distributing energy in Australia, you might want to listen to what communities like ours have to say, because it's the people of Newcastle—not those here that want to bury their heads in the sand—that are going to lead the way in this nation on how to do this transition, how to do it well and how to do it right.

Communities like mine have got a lot of skin in this game. We've got a lot at stake here. But we have the highly skilled workforce. We know how to generate, store and distribute energy as needed. We've got a world-class university and an outstanding TAFE system to educate the next generation of people working in the new energy sectors. We've got the strong, consistent offshore winds, which are obviously pretty important for the setting up of any wind farm. We've got the deepwater port of Newcastle, which knows well the need to diversify its economic base. And we've got the proximity to the grid and all of the key critical infrastructure that is required. So when people ask me, 'If this is so good, why isn't it in Sydney?' I explain exactly the reason that it's going to be in a region like Newcastle. It's because energy is what we do. We've been doing it for generations and generations, and now we're going to keep doing it with a different form of energy. That's how it's going to work.

I will tell you why people in Newcastle are pretty excited, and members opposite might want to listen to this. They are pretty keen about the 3,000 jobs that will be provided during the construction phase of offshore wind, and we are pretty damn excited about the 200 or 300 permanent jobs that will be there maintaining and supplying those offshore winds. My maritime workers in Newcastle are very excited about having some jobs, because those opposite cut their jobs, decimated Australian shipping and gave them no hope for the future, but not under the Albanese Labor government. We understand well the benefits of offshore wind and what it can bring to our communities. This is a brand new industry we are trying to stand up in Australia, so there are some genuine questions, but don't be fooled by the misinformation and disinformation that is continuously spread by members opposite. Your new-found love of marine life fools no Novocastrians.

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