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

My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. What action is the Albanese Labor government taking to support regional Australia, including through the creation of a home-grown, low-carbon, liquid fuel industry? What kind of support is this Future Made in Australia receiving, particularly in the regions?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Newcastle for her question. She's a strong advocate not just for the people of Newcastle but also for the regions overall. We do understand that there are people under pressure and people who are doing it tough in our communities. As a government, our No. 1 priority is delivering cost-of-living relief through tax cuts, energy relief and pay rises. Our policies are helping Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn.

At the same time, we are also working on new jobs for the future—that is what our Future Made in Australia policy is all about—a key pillar of which is creating a domestic, low-carbon, liquid fuel industry here in this country. It will help hard-to-abate transport sectors to reduce their emissions while, importantly, creating new jobs and opportunities all the way across regional Australia, from growers to refineries. This policy is good for regional Australia, creating new income streams for farmers and new opportunities for workers.

Right now, much of our farmers' feedstock, including 60 per cent of Australian canola, is exported to Europe to produce biofuels. Supporting a low-carbon liquid fuel industry is a policy we know the National Party have been calling for, for quite some time. We know the National Farmers Federation said in their submission on the Future Made in Australia policy that the NFF has long supported the development of the Australian bio-energy and low-carbon liquid fuel industries, with Australian agriculture playing an important role in the supply chain. We know that regional communities are set to benefit from this policy. It's supported by GrainCorp, Bioenergy Australia and the petroleum industry—like BP, who are working to establish a renewable fuel site in Kwinana in Western Australia, a state that is set to benefit significantly from a future made in Australia not only on low-carbon liquid fuels but also on critical minerals. We know there is already work undertaken by Ampol, GrainCorp and IFM to explore establishing Australia's own integrated renewable fuels industry in Brisbane—a really important initiative.

What we know from the nods from the National Party is that they support it, that they get it. We also know that we've got a shadow Treasurer who says that this is billions for billionaires, failing to understand the importance of working with the private sector to create more jobs, particularly over in the west. And now we've got the Leader of the Opposition crab-walking away when he's over in the west. You can't say one thing over in the west and another thing here in Canberra. Those opposite don't care about what happens in Western Australia. They don't care about Western Australians' jobs. On this side we are supporting local jobs and we are supporting the regions. On that side of the chamber they are saying our efforts are a wasted effort.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper