Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Bill Shorten said, in 2019, in Launceston: 'The potential to be a renewable energy superpower, Tasmania can manufacture hydrogen and export it to the world,' but only if the member for Bass were to stand up and actually fight for jobs in northern Tasmania. It seems that only Labor is committed to investing in renewable energy projects like the proposed hydrogen production facility at Bell Bay, which is a perfect example of the opportunity that exists. Once complete, the proposed facility would invest in a process called electrolysis, splitting it into hydrogen and oxygen. The product can then be sold as liquid hydrogen or combined with nitrogen to create ammonia.

The regional development ramifications for a project like this are huge. An estimated 500 to 1,000 jobs could be created and the flow-on effect to other businesses and service providers would be ongoing. It is estimated that hydrogen could provide one-quarter of northern Tasmania's export growth over the next 10 years, and Labor understands the opportunities that are at play here—not just for the proposed facility but for the broader Tasmanian economy.

The Tasmanian state Liberal government has announced the Tasmanian Renewable Hydrogen Action Plan. This export market is expected to be worth up to $13.4 billion by 2040. The last time a renewable hydrogen project was mentioned to the federal member for Bass, all she could say was Labor was politicising the issue. Well, frankly, that line just doesn't hold water. At the moment, the federal member for Bass does not seem to rate this project and is only interested in the politics of spin, fear and dishonesty. I don't understand why she's not in lockstep with and does not support her own Liberal state colleague, the Minister for Energy, Mr Guy Barnett.

Tasmania and Australia cannot afford to delay in investing in jobs of the future. Government must build a framework for the future with the private sector so there are jobs in the services sector, the agriculture sector, the tourism sector and the aquaculture sector—the sectors that have made Tasmania richer over the decades. But what we see from this government is no vision, no economic plan for the future and certainly no vision from the federal member for Bass, for Tasmania, in ensuring that we have jobs and we're job ready for the future. It's so disappointing. (Time expired)