❓ Question regarding the Cook Labor government's plan for transitioning Collie's coal industry to new industries and ensuring Collie's role in WA's energy transition. The Premier outlines investments, training, and renewable energy projects in Collie.
AnsweredQoN 691Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
COLLIE JUST TRANSITION PLAN
691. Mrs R.M.J. CLARKE to the Premier:
Before I ask my question, I would
also like to congratulate you, Madam Speaker, on your outstanding career and
thank you for your guidance during my eight years in this place.
I refer to the Cook Labor
government's commitment to retiring the Western Australian state-owned
coal-fired power stations and sensibly transitioning to the greater use
of renewables.
(1) Can the
Premier outline to the house how the Cook Labor government is creating
opportunities for workers in Collie's coal industry to transition to
new industries?
(2) Can the Premier advise the house how Collie will
remain integral to Western Australia's ongoing energy transition?
691. Mrs R.M.J. CLARKE to the Premier:
Before I ask my question, I would
also like to congratulate you, Madam Speaker, on your outstanding career and
thank you for your guidance during my eight years in this place.
I refer to the Cook Labor
government's commitment to retiring the Western Australian state-owned
coal-fired power stations and sensibly transitioning to the greater use
of renewables.
(1) Can the
Premier outline to the house how the Cook Labor government is creating
opportunities for workers in Collie's coal industry to transition to
new industries?
(2) Can the Premier advise the house how Collie will
remain integral to Western Australia's ongoing energy transition?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question; it is a very important one. What we see in
Collie is a transformation of the Western Australian industrial landscape. It
is a transformation of our electricity grid and a transformation of the lives
of people in Collie as part of our just transition package. As we know, Collie
is a special place. It is steeped in traditions. It has powered the state for
the past 130 years and we owe a great deal to the generations of coalminers and
power station workers who have toiled there. Their hard work propelled the
development of our state; however, for many years now the electricity system
has been evolving. The uptake of solar and
wind increases week by week and coal-fired generation has become increasingly expensive, unreliable and, most importantly, carbon intensive. The
writing is on the wall for coal, so for the last seven years we have been
pursuing a plan: firstly, to attract new industries and major projects for Collie; secondly, to provide the
training necessary for new industries; and, thirdly, the transition to
more renewable energy sources.
The transition plan for Collie is
working. There has been real progress on the ground and it was great to be
there last week with the Minister for Energy, Hon Reece Whitby, and the member
for Collie–Preston, Jodie Hanns. While in Collie, we announced a $134 million
investment in Collie's Coolangatta industrial estate. We are seeing
significant interest from major industrial players in areas such as green steel
and magnesium processing plant projects. These industrial projects will work
with the great progress we have seen in tourism in the town. The projects will
join other emerging businesses, including emergency vehicle fit-outs, medicinal
cannabis, graphite processing, the WesTrac Technology Training Centre—and
we have the skill centre to back them up with training. It means workers can
retrain and it means kids in Collie can train locally and get a good long-term
job.
In Collie we see the first battery
units put in place. The $1.6 billion battery is part of the single biggest
investment into the energy transition. It will be one of the biggest batteries
in the country once completed and it will have enough capacity to power 785 000
homes for four hours. It will work with our existing batteries in Kwinana to
soak up excess solar and wind during the day to discharge that electricity into
the grid during peak hours between five and nine in the evening. Importantly,
it keeps Collie at the heart of our distributed integrated system.
Since 2017 we have more than doubled
the amount of renewable energy in our main energy grid from 14 per cent to more
than 34 per cent in 2023. If we stick to the plan and we continue with the
right investments, we can double it again to
70 per cent in the next five years. The transition is gathering pace. It is exciting to see it happening on the ground, particularly under the
leadership of the local member. I add that we would be going backwards and we
would see a pause to all this work if, as Hon Dr Steve Thomas as the Liberal
representative says—I love Hon Dr Steve Thomas!—the Liberal
Party is not interested in retiring coal. We know why. It is because to support
its national leader, it needs coal to keep going for decades more to make sure
it can bring nuclear power into the system. I hear Peter Dutton is heading to Collie soon. We hope he gets there, because last
time he was in Perth he said he was headed ''up to Collie ''.
Hopefully he finds it and I hope he looks at the people of Collie in the eye. I
hope he looks them in the eye and says, ''This is the home of nuclear
power in WA if I am elected as Prime Minister of Australia.'' Perish the
thought, because what it will see is our energy system going backwards. It will
see coal and pollution being pumped into the air for decades to come and it
will see Australia as a renewable energy powerhouse in the future relinquish
this great ambition that we have. I commend all the people of Collie and the
great work that they are doing as part of this transition. The future for
Collie is bright and we are all incredibly excited about the opportunities
ahead.
thank the member for the question; it is a very important one. What we see in
Collie is a transformation of the Western Australian industrial landscape. It
is a transformation of our electricity grid and a transformation of the lives
of people in Collie as part of our just transition package. As we know, Collie
is a special place. It is steeped in traditions. It has powered the state for
the past 130 years and we owe a great deal to the generations of coalminers and
power station workers who have toiled there. Their hard work propelled the
development of our state; however, for many years now the electricity system
has been evolving. The uptake of solar and
wind increases week by week and coal-fired generation has become increasingly expensive, unreliable and, most importantly, carbon intensive. The
writing is on the wall for coal, so for the last seven years we have been
pursuing a plan: firstly, to attract new industries and major projects for Collie; secondly, to provide the
training necessary for new industries; and, thirdly, the transition to
more renewable energy sources.
The transition plan for Collie is
working. There has been real progress on the ground and it was great to be
there last week with the Minister for Energy, Hon Reece Whitby, and the member
for Collie–Preston, Jodie Hanns. While in Collie, we announced a $134 million
investment in Collie's Coolangatta industrial estate. We are seeing
significant interest from major industrial players in areas such as green steel
and magnesium processing plant projects. These industrial projects will work
with the great progress we have seen in tourism in the town. The projects will
join other emerging businesses, including emergency vehicle fit-outs, medicinal
cannabis, graphite processing, the WesTrac Technology Training Centre—and
we have the skill centre to back them up with training. It means workers can
retrain and it means kids in Collie can train locally and get a good long-term
job.
In Collie we see the first battery
units put in place. The $1.6 billion battery is part of the single biggest
investment into the energy transition. It will be one of the biggest batteries
in the country once completed and it will have enough capacity to power 785 000
homes for four hours. It will work with our existing batteries in Kwinana to
soak up excess solar and wind during the day to discharge that electricity into
the grid during peak hours between five and nine in the evening. Importantly,
it keeps Collie at the heart of our distributed integrated system.
Since 2017 we have more than doubled
the amount of renewable energy in our main energy grid from 14 per cent to more
than 34 per cent in 2023. If we stick to the plan and we continue with the
right investments, we can double it again to
70 per cent in the next five years. The transition is gathering pace. It is exciting to see it happening on the ground, particularly under the
leadership of the local member. I add that we would be going backwards and we
would see a pause to all this work if, as Hon Dr Steve Thomas as the Liberal
representative says—I love Hon Dr Steve Thomas!—the Liberal
Party is not interested in retiring coal. We know why. It is because to support
its national leader, it needs coal to keep going for decades more to make sure
it can bring nuclear power into the system. I hear Peter Dutton is heading to Collie soon. We hope he gets there, because last
time he was in Perth he said he was headed ''up to Collie ''.
Hopefully he finds it and I hope he looks at the people of Collie in the eye. I
hope he looks them in the eye and says, ''This is the home of nuclear
power in WA if I am elected as Prime Minister of Australia.'' Perish the
thought, because what it will see is our energy system going backwards. It will
see coal and pollution being pumped into the air for decades to come and it
will see Australia as a renewable energy powerhouse in the future relinquish
this great ambition that we have. I commend all the people of Collie and the
great work that they are doing as part of this transition. The future for
Collie is bright and we are all incredibly excited about the opportunities
ahead.
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