❓ The Premier outlines the government's approach to transitioning to renewable energy, highlighting local industry support and contrasting it with the perceived inaction and disunity of the Liberal and National parties.
AnsweredQoN 880Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
RENEWABLE ENERGY
880. Ms J.J. SHAW to the Premier:
I refer to the Cook Labor
government's commitment to transitioning Western Australia to net zero.
(1) Can the
Premier advise the house how this government is facilitating the switch to
renewable energy while also maximising opportunities for local industry?
(2) Can the
Premier advise how the Cook Labor government's approach compares with
that of the Liberal and National Parties?
880. Ms J.J. SHAW to the Premier:
I refer to the Cook Labor
government's commitment to transitioning Western Australia to net zero.
(1) Can the
Premier advise the house how this government is facilitating the switch to
renewable energy while also maximising opportunities for local industry?
(2) Can the
Premier advise how the Cook Labor government's approach compares with
that of the Liberal and National Parties?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. As WA starts to move into the energy
transition of the future, we need to remind ourselves that it is not just about
solar panels and wind turbines dotted around the state. It is not just about
big batteries in Collie and Kwinana, although an important part of our
measures. It is also about the unsung heroes of our shift towards renewable
energy—the innovators, the small business owners and entrepreneurs
right through our towns and suburbs. These are the small businesses working
from unassuming shopfronts and workshops that are making a difference, just
like Magellan Power, that I visited this morning in Bibra Lake. It is a family-owned
business run my Masoud Abshar and his wife, Lynne.
They are doing an incredible job of supplying battery systems, standalone power
systems, electric vehicle chargers and other renewable energy components
to reach communities, mine sites and projects.
Demand for these products is growing
exponentially each day. The business employs around 70 people, including
engineers, technicians, electricians and more, including the people I met this
morning— apprentices and trainees. It
is a recipient of the first round of my government's investment
attraction fund with a $4 million grant towards its battery
manufacturing and recycling project. Today I opened a new round, a $60 million
round of the investment attraction fund, with a focus on new energy industries.
The government is offering funding for projects in battery and critical
minerals, processing, renewable hydrogen, advanced manufacturing, wind and
solar componentry, and carbon capture use and storage. It will build on the
success of our first round which, as I said, is now assisting those companies
to do great things as part of our new energy economy. We know that WA has the
potential to be a global renewable energy powerhouse and this fund backs global
industry to take advantage of the incredible opportunities before us, as not
only a moral responsibility to address climate change, but also the opportunity
to grow and diversify our economy as part of the energy transition future. It
means more local jobs, a stronger, more diversified and more resilient local
economy, and cleaner, reliable and affordable energy for the future. On top of that, the government will
deliver a further $74 million into a range of initiatives to further WA's net zero emissions pathway. It is
part of what we call our sectoral emissions reduction strategies and it includes $31 million towards Horizon Power
batteries and planning; $6.4 million to boost our green energy approvals unit, cutting green tape and
getting projects up faster; an $11.2 million clean energy future fund extension; and $4.2 million towards our
carbon capture action plan. As well as that, the government will fund 70 dual
bay EV chargers across Metronet—an important part as we extend that
network. These announcements build on a series of Labor Party projects
to set up our state for its future energy needs.
This
stands in stark contrast to the opposition. The Liberal Party was too busy
waging cultural war about climate change to see the enormous economic
opportunity. We heard a previous Liberal Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, say that
climate change was ''crap''. We saw the former Liberal Prime
Minister, Scott Morrison, take coal into the
chamber, talking up its value. We saw the lack of progress by those opposite when they were in government. They simply cannot agree on anything. The
Nationals have a different take on coal and
climate change from the Liberals. Lord knows what sort of policies we would see
if ever , perish the thought, they came to government again. Even when
they try to release policy, it is absolute chaos.
Members will remember their energy policy at the last election. After a decade
of fighting climate action, the
member for Cottesloe and the Liberal Party desperately promised to close Collie
coal by 2025 . Can members imagine the
chaos that would have occurred as a result of that? We would have had power blackouts. People would have been told that
they had to switch off their air conditioners. The Liberal Party would
have let down the people of Western Australia with a chaotic and poorly thought
out policy that was really just a thought bubble.
We
are doing the hard work to put in place the policies necessary to make sure
that we continue to drive the Western Australian economy right into the
energy transition of the future. It will create Western Australian jobs. It
will provide reliable, clean, affordable energy for Western Australians and, above all, it will allow us to play our role as
part of the climate change process to ensure that we not only decarbonise our economy, but also the economies of our Asian partners. The
reason we need to have a WA Labor government in office in Western Australia is
to ensure we can continue on this pathway.
thank the member for the question. As WA starts to move into the energy
transition of the future, we need to remind ourselves that it is not just about
solar panels and wind turbines dotted around the state. It is not just about
big batteries in Collie and Kwinana, although an important part of our
measures. It is also about the unsung heroes of our shift towards renewable
energy—the innovators, the small business owners and entrepreneurs
right through our towns and suburbs. These are the small businesses working
from unassuming shopfronts and workshops that are making a difference, just
like Magellan Power, that I visited this morning in Bibra Lake. It is a family-owned
business run my Masoud Abshar and his wife, Lynne.
They are doing an incredible job of supplying battery systems, standalone power
systems, electric vehicle chargers and other renewable energy components
to reach communities, mine sites and projects.
Demand for these products is growing
exponentially each day. The business employs around 70 people, including
engineers, technicians, electricians and more, including the people I met this
morning— apprentices and trainees. It
is a recipient of the first round of my government's investment
attraction fund with a $4 million grant towards its battery
manufacturing and recycling project. Today I opened a new round, a $60 million
round of the investment attraction fund, with a focus on new energy industries.
The government is offering funding for projects in battery and critical
minerals, processing, renewable hydrogen, advanced manufacturing, wind and
solar componentry, and carbon capture use and storage. It will build on the
success of our first round which, as I said, is now assisting those companies
to do great things as part of our new energy economy. We know that WA has the
potential to be a global renewable energy powerhouse and this fund backs global
industry to take advantage of the incredible opportunities before us, as not
only a moral responsibility to address climate change, but also the opportunity
to grow and diversify our economy as part of the energy transition future. It
means more local jobs, a stronger, more diversified and more resilient local
economy, and cleaner, reliable and affordable energy for the future. On top of that, the government will
deliver a further $74 million into a range of initiatives to further WA's net zero emissions pathway. It is
part of what we call our sectoral emissions reduction strategies and it includes $31 million towards Horizon Power
batteries and planning; $6.4 million to boost our green energy approvals unit, cutting green tape and
getting projects up faster; an $11.2 million clean energy future fund extension; and $4.2 million towards our
carbon capture action plan. As well as that, the government will fund 70 dual
bay EV chargers across Metronet—an important part as we extend that
network. These announcements build on a series of Labor Party projects
to set up our state for its future energy needs.
This
stands in stark contrast to the opposition. The Liberal Party was too busy
waging cultural war about climate change to see the enormous economic
opportunity. We heard a previous Liberal Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, say that
climate change was ''crap''. We saw the former Liberal Prime
Minister, Scott Morrison, take coal into the
chamber, talking up its value. We saw the lack of progress by those opposite when they were in government. They simply cannot agree on anything. The
Nationals have a different take on coal and
climate change from the Liberals. Lord knows what sort of policies we would see
if ever , perish the thought, they came to government again. Even when
they try to release policy, it is absolute chaos.
Members will remember their energy policy at the last election. After a decade
of fighting climate action, the
member for Cottesloe and the Liberal Party desperately promised to close Collie
coal by 2025 . Can members imagine the
chaos that would have occurred as a result of that? We would have had power blackouts. People would have been told that
they had to switch off their air conditioners. The Liberal Party would
have let down the people of Western Australia with a chaotic and poorly thought
out policy that was really just a thought bubble.
We
are doing the hard work to put in place the policies necessary to make sure
that we continue to drive the Western Australian economy right into the
energy transition of the future. It will create Western Australian jobs. It
will provide reliable, clean, affordable energy for Western Australians and, above all, it will allow us to play our role as
part of the climate change process to ensure that we not only decarbonise our economy, but also the economies of our Asian partners. The
reason we need to have a WA Labor government in office in Western Australia is
to ensure we can continue on this pathway.
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