Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The stunt I refer to was informing the gallery last night of a variety of things that I think are untrue and the accusations that requests for meetings were denied. In my original inquiries to the minister's officers, they couldn't find the relevant invitations. So, I'd be keen, as I said very clearly last night outside of this chamber to members of those opposite, for them to let me know where those requests were sent. Who requested them? And let me follow them up, because the people you brought to this chamber deserve to be heard. Their views deserve to be heard. And I was offering a practical solution, which was not taken up.

You say that you care about the impacts of an industry, while you've refused for the last decade to engage in this conversation—buried your head in the sand and left these communities to fend for themselves. It took 10 years to deliver nationally consistent energy rules, changes to the market, improvements. But no, we're 22 half-there half-not-there failed policies later; we had nothing for 10 years. So, now that we are doing something, I would ask that you actually reflect on that at least with the facts.

What we've done is partner with the states and territories and the transition network providers, and together we are improving the planning, community engagement and community outcomes for all of the new electricity developments that we've put forward. As we have ageing traditional energy assets—as they reach their retirement—upgrades and new build of energy transition are essential for our energy security, essential for the future of this country and essential for delivering cleaner and cheaper energy.

Recently we expanded the funding to the office of the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner, who works with communities. He works with people's concerns, complaints and challenges and is very well known as being great on the ground, dealing with people, working with communities, working through problems and looking for outcomes. Even members of the opposition have praised his ability to engage with communities. He has done an excellent job and is part of the consultation, engagement and improvements that we are making.

We're working to give better guidance to landholders and communities about their rights and their entitlements. We're introducing reforms for earlier and better engagement with communities by those proponents to ensure that those complaints and concerns that people have are genuinely looked at, genuinely investigated and genuinely engaged with. We're also making changes to the National Electricity Rules to clarify consultation requirements for transition developers to ensure that consultation begins at the very start of the route selection. This will absolutely improve community engagement. You only have to talk to the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner for him to tell you the story about how they're moving those routes and negotiating those corridors. He has a great story to tell if you wanted to listen to it. These reforms are going to make sure that these communities will be more engaged. They will be engaged early, and their concerns will be and are being listened to.

In August 2022 the energy ministers across the country established the National Energy Transformation Partnership. That's working in partnership with the states—something that wasn't happening a lot in the last 10 years but something that we have reinstated to get better engagement, better planning and better outcomes. So this partnership makes sure that all those levels of government are working together to enhance that community engagement and working through the reforms of the electricity transmission regulations to ensure that we get the best possible outcomes. A key priority of that partnership is developing a national best-practice guideline for that community engagement to hear the voices of those people out there who are impacted.

So everyone is listening. This is exactly what we are doing: working alongside all of the partners to make sure that the people are heard. I think that the way to get an outcome is to try and find one, not to try and find some splash. Yes, I know I heckled last night, because I was incensed at what was happening—at what was being said in this chamber.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Thank you very much. I didn't get a text from anyone.