Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing) Share this | Hansard source

This government's relentless march towards its renewables-only policy is hitting Capricornia hard. It is a policy that fails to understand or address the real needs of our communities. My electorate of Capricornia is quickly becoming the epicentre of government backed renewable energy projects.

One such project, the Lotus Creek Wind Farm, has been handed an eye-watering $924 million in funding commitments from the state Labor government. Astonishingly, $300 million of this funding has been siphoned from coal royalties—money that should have supported the industries and jobs that have sustained this region for generations. Yet, despite the enormous investment, the promised returns are meagre. Labor themselves admit that the ongoing operational phase of the wind farm will create just 10 to 15 jobs. It's hard to fathom how such a vast outlay of taxpayer money results in so little benefit for local workers and families.

We don't have to look far to see the effects of this approach. Just down the road from the proposed Lotus Creek Wind Farm is the Clarke Creek Wind Farm, a project that illustrates the real impact on our local communities. Over 90 per cent of the workforce of Clarke Creek are fly-in fly-out workers. Instead of creating local jobs and strengthening our communities, these workers are bussed in and out with little to no engagement with the region. The nearby town of Marlborough, for instance, sees none of the economic benefits that should come with a project of this scale. Workers don't stay in the town. They don't shop there. They don't support local businesses. They simply pass through. The government's push for renewables is leaving Capricornia behind. The jobs created are few, and the benefits for local towns and families are scarce. This government's policy is not just about energy. It's about people's livelihoods. When investment on this scale bypasses our communities, we must ask ourselves: what is the true cost?

Environmentalist Steven Nowakowski and Rainforest Reserves Australia have mapped a mind-boggling 17,119 wind turbine projects proposed for development right across Australia. These wind turbines and solar fields are not being built in the heart of the cities, where the energy demand is greatest. Instead, international developers are pushing their way into our regional and rural communities with the full backing of those opposite. They are clearing untouched vegetation, disrupting natural habitats and putting endangered species at serious risk, all in the name of ideological policy but without regard for the environmental and social costs borne by our communities. The hypocrisy is staggering, considering this level of industrial development would never be approved for any other type of industry. I challenge those opposite: where is the social licence for these projects? You are failing our regional and rural communities.

The Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner's own Community engagement review revealed that a staggering 92 per cent of people were dissatisfied with the level of community engagement on renewable projects. Additionally, 90 per cent felt that they were left in the dark, with inadequate information and unresolved concerns. Yet did Labor listen? Absolutely not. They ignored the thousands of Australians who converged on the lawns of parliament desperate to be heard. This government's disdain for regional Australia is so deep that the minister for energy couldn't even be bothered to respond. It's a clear message that the voices of the regions don't matter to this government.

The government's energy policies should reflect the needs of our communities, not just the ideology of the city based elite. It won't just be regional Australians paying the price for renewables-only energy policy. Already Labor is handing out billions to mop up its broken promise of price reductions. But this hasn't been enough. More than 600 everyday, hardworking Australian families have been going into financial hardship with their energy retailer every week since Labor took office. This is a shame.

Australians can't do another three years of the same Labor pain. The coalition has consistently championed an 'all of the above' approach to energy. We want Australia to be a country where our energy grid works 24/7, not one that is at the mercy of the weather. The truth is simple: you can't run a full-time economy on part-time power. That's why nuclear energy along with renewables and gas is absolutely critical to our energy future. The coalition's approach mirrors that of 19 of the world's 20 largest economies—an approach that balances emissions reduction, economic stability and energy security. Labor must abandon its flawed renewables-only ideology and embrace this balanced path if we are to achieve our energy and climate goals while keeping the lights on, prices down and our economy strong.

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