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

Today I rise to congratulate the Hon. Matt Kean on his appointment to the Chair of the Climate Change Authority. The Climate Change Authority is a vital independent statutory body that provides advice to government on how we transition our energy grid and, indeed, our entire economy to net zero. It's critical advice to ensure that all Australians have a share in the benefits of that transition and in the provision of the cheapest, cleanest power available.

Matt Kean is familiar to many. He was the New South Wales Treasurer and Minister for Energy and Environment, and he did a fantastic job. He is a great appointment. We know this because he has shown excellent judgement in his operations so far. When it comes to Australia's energy needs, he understands the opportunity that the transition to clean energy provides us with. He also understands how risky and reckless it would be to walk away from the work that is already well underway. The transition to renewables is essential for the security of our energy system into the future.

Peter Dutton announced last week that, if he wins government, he wants to build at least seven nuclear reactors. We are in the middle of an energy transition. This is a conversation that has been going on for a very long time. With the transition that we've been seeing over the past couple of years, with government, business and the community all investing in renewable energy as the future of this country, we're on the road to that renewable energy future. To throw it all away on a policy with no detail is just economic vandalism. We will be at 82 per cent renewables by 2030, on a cheaper, more reliable energy plan for this country. But this—to coin a phrase—'all tip and no iceberg' policy puts all of that at deep, deep risk. When asked this morning whether he thought nuclear energy should play a role in Australia's energy transition, Mr Kean referred to his previous experience in New South Wales as the energy minister. He said:

… I didn't want to bankrupt the state and I didn't want to put those huge costs onto families. That's why we introduced the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, which planned the transition to renewables, backed up by firming and storage, because we know that was the cheapest option for New South Wales. It could be rolled out the quickest and deliver the future that we wanted.

That's pretty clear, isn't it. If that's true for New South Wales, it will have the same impact across the rest of the country. Nuclear energy is too slow to keep the lights on. It is too expensive to build at this stage, and it is too risky to Australia's energy needs.

What we have seen is a decade of delay and denial from those opposite. Under the coalition's decade in government, they did precisely nothing to secure Australia's energy future. Twenty-four out of 28 coal closures either happened or were announced in that time. They did nothing in that time to progress nuclear—not one piece of legislation, not one penny, nothing. Fundamentally, they wasted a decade. They've left Australia with our energy needs in a really challenging situation. Knowing that we needed a plan for new energy, as future coal exited the market, they did nothing at all. And now they decide that it's time to do nuclear, when they did nothing for all of that time. Before I finish, I will quote Matt Kean, who said:

This is not about ideology, this is about outcomes. And the experts tell us, and I agree with them, that if we get this transition right, we can not only put downward pressure on electricity bills for families and businesses right across the country, but we can protect our environment and make our economy even stronger and more prosperous for everyone forever.

The nuclear option in Australia is the biggest risk to energy security, it is the biggest risk to current business investment and it is the biggest risk to energy prices for Australians.