❓ Ms. Dalton asks about the Pilbara hydrogen hub and its impact on job creation and regional economic diversification. The Minister responds positively, outlining the government's initiatives and contrasting them with the opposition's stance on energy policy.
AnsweredQoN 417Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HYDROGEN HUB —
PILBARA
417. Ms L. DALTON to the Minister for Regional Development:
I refer to the delivery of the $140
million Pilbara hydrogen hub.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how the Cook Labor government's delivery
of a clean energy training and research institute within the hub will create
new local jobs in regional WA?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this investment builds on existing clean energy
initiatives that are diversifying regional economies and creating jobs across
the state?
PILBARA
417. Ms L. DALTON to the Minister for Regional Development:
I refer to the delivery of the $140
million Pilbara hydrogen hub.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how the Cook Labor government's delivery
of a clean energy training and research institute within the hub will create
new local jobs in regional WA?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this investment builds on existing clean energy
initiatives that are diversifying regional economies and creating jobs across
the state?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
certainly can, and I thank the member for her question. I thank her for her
commitment to innovation and new technology right through her electorate. Thank
you very much, member.
Of course, this is a government that
is thinking continuously about what the future holds. We have worked incredibly
hard to build a solid base for our state, and now we are looking at the
opportunities that flow from economic
diversification, the challenges of the future, and, globally, at what the jobs
of the future will look like. I am very pleased to advise members that
as part of that, last week the Cook government called for applications to
design the Pilbara-based clean energy training and research institute, known as
CETRI. It is part of the $140 million Pilbara Hydrogen Hub project to set that
region up for a clean energy future. We on this side of the house know that
that is the way of the future. Everywhere you go in the world, everywhere you
look, people are looking at the opportunities of new technology and new energy.
The state-of-the-art multi-user
training hub and research institute that is planned will incorporate different
training providers and research sites across industry, tertiary and vocational
training settings. The centre will focus on research, innovation and
development activities as well as developing skills and training related to
clean energy industries, including the production, transportation, storage and
export of renewable hydrogen. The Pilbara
hydrogen hub was jointly funded by the Cook and Albanese government .
That is yet another testament to the very positive relationship we have. The
hub is expected to become operational by mid-2028, supporting around a thousand
direct and indirect jobs in the region, drawing on the skills of the future.
The milestone for the clean energy
training and research institute follows last week's announcement by the
Minister for Training and Workforce Development, who has been doing a brilliant
job and has ensured that WA will be home of the nation's first Clean
Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence, which is a $70.5 million
initiative jointly funded by the state and commonwealth governments. This
government is positioning Western Australia for the technology and energy of
the future. The Clean Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence and the CETRI
collaboration will leverage the existing strengths of the state's TAFE network and skill thousands
of Western Australians to take up these new, quality clean energy jobs
of the future.
Developing
the skills we need for clean energy jobs of the future will help Western Australia
to secure major jobs creating hydrogen, ammonia, critical minerals and
renewable energy projects in the region because we know that industry looks for
talent and skills. That is what it looks for and that is what we are investing
in. This institute will deliver the skills for Western Australians to
transition and keep our economy strong for the future. Importantly, it will
also help create opportunities for Aboriginal people to have a stake in the
clean energy future across the supply chain and support the next generation of
researchers and educators.
That
is in stark contrast with the members opposite who, in the unlikely event that
they may hold government at some point in the future, have vowed to
shelve plans to shut down WA's coal-fired power stations by 2030 and
still think that the idea of replacing the Collie coal-fired power stations
with nuclear reactors has some merit. They
are looking in the rear-view mirror. They are no better than their federal
counterparts , who have also rejected the Albanese government's
proposal to set up production tax credits for processing critical minerals and
green hydrogen. That is a direct attack on the future of the resources sector.
The federal coalition was very quick to label those policies welfare for billionaires,
but would Peter Dutton and the shadow Treasurer seriously argue that those
royalty and stamp duty concessions that came out of the old Liberal governments
of yesteryear did not have an impact on generating some of the resources
development that we have seen?
Where is the WA Liberal Party in this
announcement? It is looking in the rear-view mirror at technologies of the past while we are focused on the
technologies and industries of the future and building a very solid foundation
for Western Australia to be a powerhouse as we move into the second half of the
twenty- first century.
The SPEAKER : The Leader of
the Opposition with the last question.
certainly can, and I thank the member for her question. I thank her for her
commitment to innovation and new technology right through her electorate. Thank
you very much, member.
Of course, this is a government that
is thinking continuously about what the future holds. We have worked incredibly
hard to build a solid base for our state, and now we are looking at the
opportunities that flow from economic
diversification, the challenges of the future, and, globally, at what the jobs
of the future will look like. I am very pleased to advise members that
as part of that, last week the Cook government called for applications to
design the Pilbara-based clean energy training and research institute, known as
CETRI. It is part of the $140 million Pilbara Hydrogen Hub project to set that
region up for a clean energy future. We on this side of the house know that
that is the way of the future. Everywhere you go in the world, everywhere you
look, people are looking at the opportunities of new technology and new energy.
The state-of-the-art multi-user
training hub and research institute that is planned will incorporate different
training providers and research sites across industry, tertiary and vocational
training settings. The centre will focus on research, innovation and
development activities as well as developing skills and training related to
clean energy industries, including the production, transportation, storage and
export of renewable hydrogen. The Pilbara
hydrogen hub was jointly funded by the Cook and Albanese government .
That is yet another testament to the very positive relationship we have. The
hub is expected to become operational by mid-2028, supporting around a thousand
direct and indirect jobs in the region, drawing on the skills of the future.
The milestone for the clean energy
training and research institute follows last week's announcement by the
Minister for Training and Workforce Development, who has been doing a brilliant
job and has ensured that WA will be home of the nation's first Clean
Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence, which is a $70.5 million
initiative jointly funded by the state and commonwealth governments. This
government is positioning Western Australia for the technology and energy of
the future. The Clean Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence and the CETRI
collaboration will leverage the existing strengths of the state's TAFE network and skill thousands
of Western Australians to take up these new, quality clean energy jobs
of the future.
Developing
the skills we need for clean energy jobs of the future will help Western Australia
to secure major jobs creating hydrogen, ammonia, critical minerals and
renewable energy projects in the region because we know that industry looks for
talent and skills. That is what it looks for and that is what we are investing
in. This institute will deliver the skills for Western Australians to
transition and keep our economy strong for the future. Importantly, it will
also help create opportunities for Aboriginal people to have a stake in the
clean energy future across the supply chain and support the next generation of
researchers and educators.
That
is in stark contrast with the members opposite who, in the unlikely event that
they may hold government at some point in the future, have vowed to
shelve plans to shut down WA's coal-fired power stations by 2030 and
still think that the idea of replacing the Collie coal-fired power stations
with nuclear reactors has some merit. They
are looking in the rear-view mirror. They are no better than their federal
counterparts , who have also rejected the Albanese government's
proposal to set up production tax credits for processing critical minerals and
green hydrogen. That is a direct attack on the future of the resources sector.
The federal coalition was very quick to label those policies welfare for billionaires,
but would Peter Dutton and the shadow Treasurer seriously argue that those
royalty and stamp duty concessions that came out of the old Liberal governments
of yesteryear did not have an impact on generating some of the resources
development that we have seen?
Where is the WA Liberal Party in this
announcement? It is looking in the rear-view mirror at technologies of the past while we are focused on the
technologies and industries of the future and building a very solid foundation
for Western Australia to be a powerhouse as we move into the second half of the
twenty- first century.
The SPEAKER : The Leader of
the Opposition with the last question.
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