❓ Ms. D'Anna asks about the impact of the government's renewable energy investments on regional WA's economy. The Minister responds with examples of solar panel installations and streetlight upgrades in Derby, highlighting job creation, emissions reduction, and improved community safety, and mentions mining companies' renewable energy commitments.
AnsweredQoN 739Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
RENEWABLE ENERGY — REGIONS
739. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to creating jobs and driving economic
development throughout regional Western Australia. Can the minister update the
house on how the government's significant investment in renewable green
energy is supporting local businesses and stimulating local economies
throughout regional Western Australia?
739. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to creating jobs and driving economic
development throughout regional Western Australia. Can the minister update the
house on how the government's significant investment in renewable green
energy is supporting local businesses and stimulating local economies
throughout regional Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I am very pleased to answer the
question. I know how deeply committed to fighting greenhouse gas emissions the
member for Kimberley is.
I am very pleased to say that we
have awarded two contracts to local Kimberley businesses to install solar
panels on Derby Hospital as part of the government's WA recovery plan.
It will see 364 kilowatts of rooftop solar installed on Derby Hospital that
will provide 40 per cent of the hospital's energy needs and save 334 tonnes
of carbon emissions each year. It builds on other projects in Derby that have
seen 283 kilowatts of rooftop solar installed on premises of the Shire of Derby–West
Kimberley. That has seen a $130 000 reduction in electricity charges and 460 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions saved. As
part of this project, we will also see 1 100 new smart LED streetlights installed in Derby, which are obviously much more energy efficient, but also
much brighter. I understand from talking to people in Derby that they are very
welcome because it has increased people's feeling of security in the
town in the evenings. Of course, it also allows us to remotely monitor the
lights and, therefore, get them repaired faster when we detect a fault through
Horizon's management of that project. It is just another example of our
continued commitment to renewable energy in this state.
I want to say, too, that today I was
very privileged to join a number of people, including the member for Willagee,
for lunch with Simon Trott, the Rio Tinto chief executive, iron ore; Brandon Craig,
the asset president of BHP iron ore; Gerhard Veldsman, the chief executive
officer of Roy Hill; and Dino Otranto, the chief operating officer for iron ore
for Fortescue Metals Group. It was really interesting that all of them were
telling us about their enormous commitments to renewable energy and that we can
expect to see more renewable energy installations in Western Australia over the
next 12 months to two years than anywhere else in Australia.
The SPEAKER : The member for
Vasse with the last question.
question. I know how deeply committed to fighting greenhouse gas emissions the
member for Kimberley is.
I am very pleased to say that we
have awarded two contracts to local Kimberley businesses to install solar
panels on Derby Hospital as part of the government's WA recovery plan.
It will see 364 kilowatts of rooftop solar installed on Derby Hospital that
will provide 40 per cent of the hospital's energy needs and save 334 tonnes
of carbon emissions each year. It builds on other projects in Derby that have
seen 283 kilowatts of rooftop solar installed on premises of the Shire of Derby–West
Kimberley. That has seen a $130 000 reduction in electricity charges and 460 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions saved. As
part of this project, we will also see 1 100 new smart LED streetlights installed in Derby, which are obviously much more energy efficient, but also
much brighter. I understand from talking to people in Derby that they are very
welcome because it has increased people's feeling of security in the
town in the evenings. Of course, it also allows us to remotely monitor the
lights and, therefore, get them repaired faster when we detect a fault through
Horizon's management of that project. It is just another example of our
continued commitment to renewable energy in this state.
I want to say, too, that today I was
very privileged to join a number of people, including the member for Willagee,
for lunch with Simon Trott, the Rio Tinto chief executive, iron ore; Brandon Craig,
the asset president of BHP iron ore; Gerhard Veldsman, the chief executive
officer of Roy Hill; and Dino Otranto, the chief operating officer for iron ore
for Fortescue Metals Group. It was really interesting that all of them were
telling us about their enormous commitments to renewable energy and that we can
expect to see more renewable energy installations in Western Australia over the
next 12 months to two years than anywhere else in Australia.
The SPEAKER : The member for
Vasse with the last question.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.