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

Before I begin my adjournment speech, I'd like to take this opportunity to formally welcome you, Mr Speaker, and congratulate you in your role as Speaker of the House. I am very much looking forward to serving in partnership with you as Deputy Speaker and to bringing about the necessary reforms for the Australian parliament.

Labor is indeed not wasting any time in implementing our agenda, and that is incredibly important for regions like mine—Newcastle and the Hunter region—big, carbon-intensive economic communities. My electorate absolutely voted for a change of government. They felt let down by a government that refused to actually face reality about a transition from a carbon-intensive economy across to an economy that was going to be able to diversify its base and invest in new forms of energy for the future.

My electorate of Newcastle knows—better than most, indeed—the importance of not only reaching net zero by 2050 but also, as I said, diversifying and strengthening our economy with those new renewable energies. The Labor government is going to deliver on some very significant commitments to Newcastle by investing in our people and our skills. Newcastle is blessed with a highly skilled energy workforce. We have an abundance of resources. We have industrial expertise. We have terrific and extensive rail and port infrastructure, and Newcastle and the Hunter region are poised to take full advantage of these new energy industries and, indeed, become the centre of a new energy hub—indeed, a superpower.

So Labor is investing some $82 million in a super hydrogen hub based in the port of Newcastle, which has the potential to attract some 2,500 jobs over the coming years. These are high skilled, well-paid, secure jobs that we want in our region. The Albanese Labor government is also partnering with the University of Newcastle to invest a further $16 million to build a new facility to test and invent solutions to a range of global challenges when it comes to the use of hydrogen and many of these new energy industries and technologies. The skills, techniques and technologies developed by this project at the university will enable local industry, including hydrogen investments at the port of Newcastle, to really grow to their full potential. There's a lot of thinking as to what will be required—what industry is going to need in terms of the skilled workforce but also places to test out, and to accredit and ensure safety in, the use of these new energy technologies. Of course, we've been doing this for more than a century in Newcastle with coal and the need to ensure safe practices. This comes as second nature to the people of Newcastle. I am very excited about the possibilities for Newcastle and our region in a transition and diversification of our local economy whilst we bring Australia to deliver on this commitment of net zero by 2050.

As I said, we're not wasting any time. Today, indeed, we saw the introduction of the climate change bills into this House, so the Anthony Albanese Labor government has indeed ticked off on one of those election commitments: to enshrine the nation's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050 into law. The Australian people voted for this change, and indeed my electorate of Newcastle voted very strongly for it. They care deeply about this issue. For Novocastrians, this is personal. We have a lot of skin in the game. But we know that real action on climate change means more than just hitting targets. It's about forging a sustainable future for carbon-intensive regions like mine. I thank the Albanese government for pulling the head out of the sand and facing the reality ahead. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.

House adjourned at 19 :53