Jason Falinski (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) welcomes that:

(a) Australia strengthened its position as a renewable energy powerhouse in 2020; and

(b) the Clean Energy Regulator estimates that a record 7.0 gigawatts of new renewable capacity was installed in 2020; and

(2) acknowledges that Australia is a world leader in renewable energy with:

(a) one in four Australian homes having solar—the highest uptake of household solar in the world; and

(b) $7.7 billion, or $299 per person, invested in 2020 in renewable energy—placing us ahead of countries like Canada, Germany, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and the United States on a per person basis.

We have a long and proud record of energy efficiency in this country. We have stood by and done our part in what is a global problem: to reduce carbon emissions so that the most catastrophic impacts of climate change are avoided in this century. When you look at the results that Australia has been able to produce compared to other nations around the world that are constantly held up to us as nations that we should be following, it is a stark contrast. Australia has reduced its carbon emissions by 19 per cent since the year 2000. Compare that to Canada, which has only reduced its emissions by one per cent. Compare that to New Zealand, which has only just managed to reduce its emissions by two per cent. Compare our programs around the world and, time and time again, with the exception of the United Kingdom, Australia's results are incredibly favourable and demonstrate that we are committed to what is a global problem and are playing our part to resolve this global issue.

Australians—and this is a little-known fact, because those members of the media who are more concerned about spreading fear than they are about informing their readers and viewers will not allow this fact to be told—are the highest investors and the highest deployers of renewable energy per capita that in the world. And not just by a little bit, but by a factor of 100 per cent. The next nearest country to us invests exactly half as much as we do per capita in renewable energy. We do not have a nuclear power sector in Australia as they do in France, as they do in the United States and as they do in the United Kingdom, yet we have been able to reduce emissions from the energy sector year on year on year. None of this is ever given any airtime by those members of the media and by those people, that caste of Australians, who hate their fellow Australians and hate the country they live in, because all they're interested in doing is pulling their fellow Australians down.

We cannot celebrate. We are not allowed in this country to celebrate our great achievements. We are not allowed to stand on the world stage and say, while we are humble, that we are proud of those things that we have been able to achieve and, in a true testament to what is a great nation, that we are willing to share the lessons of that achievement. We can't do that, because we subject to abuse and misinformation and our fellow Australians are dragged down at every possible opportunity.

These are achievements that we should be proud of. Instead, we are told that we have achieved nothing compared to nations like Canada and New Zealand, who trail us, year after year, on this most important issue. I say to those who denigrate my nation—our nation—and our fellow Australians: it is time for you to stop, not only for the sake of us but for the sake of those people who live on this planet and for the sake of those who want to see a resolution to global climate change. Because it is only when we can be proud and talk about those things that we have managed to achieve, in a humble fashion, that we will be able to share the great gifts that we can with the world and move this debate forward.

We have incredibly strong targets. We have an enviable track record in this space and we have something that so many other people around the world—it is easy to stand on a stage with cheering people and tell them that we will produce net carbon emissions by 2050, and leave the plan to later. But we take the responsible decision, our countrymen take the responsible decision, our nation takes the responsible decision to not make commitments without a plan in hand to achieve those things—because that is dishonest, because that leads to disillusionment, because that is the road to fear. That is the road to disenchantment among so many young people, who believe that their very existence on this planet is at risk because we cannot tell the truth. But we have told the truth. This government, this nation, will not make commitments to net zero without a plan.

And we do have a plan that has resulted in a reduction in carbon emissions of 20 per cent. I invite those who make fun of this nation and who criticise my fellow Australians to compare our results to that of virtually ever other nation in the world and then they, too, can see what we have achieved.

Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm happy to second the motion.

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

I thank the member for Mackellar for this motion and a good follow-on from me, because when I'm reminded that Australians have the highest uptake of household power in the world I am very proud of this country. This proves the appetite of Australians to do their bit on renewables. But the government must also do its bit, and I'm not alone in feeling like it let down its side of the bargain in the budget last night.

Overall, this budget was a missed opportunity for the government when it came to renewable energy, with an exception. As a supporter of green hydrogen, I'm thrilled that Wodonga was chosen by ARENA as one of the three sites for Australia in the construction of a green-hydrogen plant. This is a great step forward for weaning approximately 40,000 connections in Albury-Wodonga off fossil fuels. Some government statements were made about the project that are not entirely accurate, though. It's not, for example, the equal largest electrolyser in the world. At 10 megawatts, it will be half the size of the hydrogen electrolysers with 20- to 25-megawatt capacities in France, Germany and Japan. But I put this down to excitement over the project, which is, indeed, a very exciting project, and I'm thrilled about it. This hydrogen project is a fantastic start, but we also need to do much more for renewables in regional Australia that don't include the risks inherent in projects like this, such as the potential for offshoring profits.

The member for Mackellar has claimed in his motion that Australia is a renewable energy powerhouse, but who and what part of Australia is he talking about? We represent very different places and very different people. Whenever I step into this place, I am thinking, talking and advocating for the residents of rural and regional areas—people like the people of Indi. Without more visionary intervention, the opportunities and benefits of renewable energy will be spread unevenly. More likely than not, regional Australia will miss out. But there is another way, and that's my plan for a renewables driven economic boom so that regional Australians are the big winners.

I want to share an example of regional people seeing real benefits from renewable energy. Last Thursday I was in Benalla to cut the ribbon on Munro Avenue Kindergarten's new solar installation. This is the first action under Renewable Energy Banalla's Community Energy Project, and this project will fund energy savings on community facilities which will be paid forward onto the next project. Standing alongside me were members of the community; members of the council; the community group itself; representatives from FRV Winton Solar Farm, who are producing the solar energy; solar panel installers Solargain; and, of course, those gorgeous little kindergarten children. This project demonstrates how small-scale renewables can help regional people save money so our kindergartens can get on with the job of taking care of our kids and spending less on power.

My bill, the Australian Local Power Agency Bill 2021, would deliver $310 million worth of grants to similar projects right across regional Australia and real investment into regional communities to lower our electricity bills with cheap local power. If my agency were established, community ownership would become a feature of every new wind and solar project built in Australia. Project developers would need to offer local residents the opportunity to take up to a 20 per cent ownership stake in the project. The agency would also underwrite new midscale community owned renewable energy projects.

There are government members of both Liberal and National Party persuasions who like what they see in my Australian Local Power Agency. Like me, they see billions of energy dollars draining out of their regions offshore or to the cities. They understand what a difference it would make if the money stayed local—to our regional prosperity and to economic and energy security. It's not ideological; it's really just common sense. It's actually regional development.

My fellow MPs want to see regional Australia at the front of the renewable energy boom. The tragedy is that they can only express this sentiment behind closed doors, or at least that's how they feel. What I'm saying to them and to the government is that this is your moment. Get on board or get left behind, and leave the supporters in the regions behind too if you do that. I've taken my plan to the Prime Minister, every single parliamentarian has received a copy of the plan, and my Australian Local Power Agency Bill is going before a parliamentary committee later this year. This is your opportunity. It doesn't matter if it's badged blue, red, orange or gold; I don't care. This is good policy, and it will make a difference. I urge the government to adopt it and truly make Australia the renewables powerhouse it should be.

Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the member for Mackellar's motion that acknowledges Australia's position as a renewable energy powerhouse in 2020 and the Morrison government's continued commitment to lowering emissions as a world leader in renewable energy technologies and investment. In our efforts to tackle the changing climate, achieving net zero emissions will be a great challenge. However, there is no doubt that the Morrison government does not shy away when confronted with such challenges. Around the world we are seeing those countries that pivot to a lower emissions future relying on innovative and renewable technologies to achieve their goals. Under the leadership of the Morrison government, our plan for Australia's clean energy future is no different. In harnessing the power of science, innovation and technology, we have a plan to create a sustainable and clean energy sector that protects our planet for future generations.

We are committed to our plan of a net zero emissions future for Australia. 2020 was a record year for renewable energy uptake in Australia, with the Clean Energy Regulator reporting the installation of seven gigawatts of renewable technologies to the grid. This supersedes the 2019 record of 6.3 gigawatts, signifying an 11 per cent rise in renewables uptake. Our history of supporting renewable technologies is set to continue in 2021, with the Clean Energy Regulator estimating a further six gigawatts of energy to be installed. Our commitment to a clean energy future is already seeing Australia ahead of other countries like the United States, France, Japan, Germany and Canada in investment of renewable technologies on a per capita basis.

Sometimes you would think we were doing nothing given the way that the media might talk about this issue, but there is absolutely no doubt that Australians are putting solar panels on their roofs at record rates, and that is making a real difference. But of course we need to make sure that our energy grid is secure. We need to transition carefully and we need to make sure that this transition brings the whole of Australia with it. This means ensuring that we invest in new technologies as we speak, and I really back in the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction on the five stretch targets in the Low Emissions Technology Statement. That is because it will take new technologies to fill the energy void. We can't get there overnight; we need to transition there. There is no silver bullet for the energy issues facing the globe at this point in time. That means we need to work on all fronts with regard to ensuring that a diversified renewable energies portfolio is what gets us there.

Last night, the budget committed a further $539.2 million for a new renewable technologies approach across Australia. Of note, this includes $275 million for the further development of four additional clean hydrogen hubs in regional Australia and the implementation of a clean hydrogen scheme. This is essential not only as we develop hydrogen as a firming technology for clean and dispatchable energy that ensures future reliability and affordability but also as we establish hydrogen as our export commodity for our resources industry. This will create Aussie jobs and support our manufacturing sector in our postpandemic recovery.

I note that one of the sites for a green hydrogen plant is in Wodonga. As someone who grew up in Albury, just across the river, I know this will help with local jobs incredibly. It's this form of practical approach that will see Australia lead the way with transitioning to a cleaner, greener future. It's pragmatic, it creates jobs and it's something the world needs. And we know this because we know places like Japan and even Germany are looking to a hydrogen-led future and they're looking to invest in Australia to make sure that we can provide hydrogen as a resource for the future. It's about bottling our sunshine and developing it for export overseas.

Most importantly, our plan is already delivering results. In 2020 we met and beat our Kyoto targets by 459 million tonnes, with recent assessment forecasts that Australia will exceed its 2030 Paris target in tackling climate change. As a result of the Morrison government's commitment to renewable technologies, we're delivering a future that protects our planet and will underpin our economic prosperity for decades to come.

Madeleine King (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This motion is a bit embarrassing, really, with its comments that the Morrison government is investing in renewable energy. The member for Mackellar is seeking that this House acknowledge Australia as a world leader in renewable energy, when less than a week ago the minister for resources and Northern Australia vetoed support for a significant job-creating renewable energy project. That's right, in this Morrison government's pitch to be a renewable energy powerhouse, they've actively overturned the decision of the board of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility by vetoing support for a windfarm in Far North Queensland.

This renewable energy project was set to create 250 jobs just south of Cairns, an area hit really hard by COVID restrictions and with a lack of an international tourism industry. What's worse, the minister and member for Hinkler is himself a Queenslander. Here he is, along with his whole Liberal-National government, rubbishing and vetoing renewable energy projects and destroying new job-creating projects in Queensland. Yet they have the gall to come in here with this private member's motion to try and promote their renewable energy legacy.

There isn't a legacy. In fact, this is the first time a ministerial veto has been used under the NAIF, and this minister chose to veto a windfarm. Minister Pitt said that as renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are mature technologies—the last time I looked, gas pipelines and gas-fired power stations were also mature technologies—the private sector will drive that development. That was the basis for rejecting this windfarm. Gas pipelines and gas-fired power stations are mature technologies. This government will throw hundreds of millions of dollars into gas related projects—that the private sector can't or won't fund because there is a likelihood they'll be stranded assets.

I am a supporter of the gas industry. I've said that openly. It is a transition fuel. It will be for many years to come. Yet this government ditches its support for any renewable energy projects and throws money elsewhere. This is not the Liberal government of old. These are not the liberal economists we expect to see in this building. They throw money around like it's theirs. They think taxpayers' money is theirs, and they don't support the job-creating projects people want.

The member for Mackellar is trying to say one thing in his electorate—and the member for Higgins, and every other Liberal and National member speaking want to say the same thing in their electorates—about how supportive the Liberals and Nationals are of renewable energy, while their minister vetoes support for a job-creating renewable energy project. As the Clean Energy Council chief executive Kane Thornton observed:

… investors … are increasingly frustrated by the politicisation of a sector that is at the forefront of job creation and economic revitalisation of regional Australia.

What an excellent point. This government is cutting funding to renewable energy projects that create jobs in regional Australia. Let that go on the record. Let's not forget what they are doing to regional Australia: sucking funding out and sucking jobs out.

Yesterday we saw an absolute train wreck of an interview, where the minister for resources treated battery technology like it was the Lord Voldemort of modern Australia—the storage capacity-enabling renewable energy projects that shall not be named! This is the minister for resources of Australia. He wants the Australian people to believe that his critical mineral strategy is an essential component for—guess what?—batteries, yet he won't support battery technology, just as this government won't support the windfarm in Queensland. I guess we should expect nothing less of Minister Pitt. After all, it was he who said that solar panels and lithium batteries could turn out to be this generation's asbestos. Good job.

We know this government is isolated on the world stage when it comes to real action on climate change. One hundred and twenty countries, 70 per cent of our trading partners, and every state and territory in the country has committed to a target of net zero emissions by 2050, but not this bunch of Luddites. The Business Council of Australia, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, the National Farmers Federation, the Australian Industry Group, big resource companies—BHP, Woodside Energy, Rio Tinto, Santos—our biggest airline, our biggest banks, and countless experts and scientists have all committed to the target of net zero emissions by 2050. But not this government. No, they will drag Australia down and prevent us from being a renewable powerhouse, and shame on them.

Gladys Liu (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When I first came to Australia many years ago as a student I was astounded by the diversity of natural landscapes. The four corners of Australia may as well be different worlds. This diversity of landscapes and climates means Australia has always been in a pole position to capitalise on our renewable resources, and I can say with certainty that we have taken advantage of all that Australia has to offer. Did you know that one in four Australians turn Australia's baking sun into electricity? Indeed, we have the highest uptake of household solar in the world. Well, Australians have always been great at turning lemons into lemonade, so it makes sense that we are just as great at turning the sun into solar.

As a member of the Morrison government, I'm proud to say that we are taking real and practical action, and as a result we are delivering lower emissions whilst protecting our economy and the jobs and futures of all Australians. Our government has strong targets, an enviable track record and a clear plan. Unlike the plans that Labor has implemented before, which involved thrusting higher taxes on the shoulders of hardworking Australians, the Morrison government is delivering a plan that is driven by technology, not taxes. We are building ourselves out as a world leader in renewable resource technology. We are propelling innovation forward, driving jobs creation and lowering our emission output whilst delivering reliable, affordable energy for all Australians.

Investment into renewables has being a priority for Australia. Since 2017, Australia has invested over $35 billion in renewable energy. On a per capita basis, Australia is ahead of countries like the United States, France and Japan, and has more than double the per capita investment of countries like China, Germany and Canada. These are achievements Australians can be proud of. Our investment in renewables doesn't end there. The Morrison government's 2021-22 budget will invest a further $539 million into new clean hydrogen and carbon capture, use and storage projects that will also support Australian industry, creating jobs and lowering emissions. Our new investment into clean hydrogen and carbon capture technologies will create around 2½ thousand jobs in Australia for Australians. It will support Australian industry and manufacturing into the future. And, to top it all off, it will further reduce Australia's emissions output. It's a win-win.

Last year was a record year for renewable energy capacity installed in Australia. The Clean Energy Regulator reports that seven gigawatts of new renewable capacity was installed in 2020, which is 11 per cent above the previous record in 2019. That's more renewable energy output in one year under a Morrison government than under the whole Labor government when they last held power. I want to be very clear: unlike Labor, our government won't try to reduce emissions by compromising our export industries and the hardworking Australian families that depend on those industries. We have and will continue to lower emissions while ensuring that those who work in export industries can still provide for their families. Our promise to Australians is that we won't raise taxes to get the job done, and we will still do it better than what any Labor government could hope to do.

Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the few seconds that I have, I want to point out what a joke this private members' motion is. I say so because this is nothing but window-dressing and trying to make the government look like they are actually doing something about renewables, when we know that they've been anti renewable, they've been anti bringing down power bills—

Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It being 1 pm, I interrupt the member, as the time for the debate has expired. The member will have leave to continue his comments when the debate is resumed.

Sitting suspended from 13 : 00 to 16 : 00