❓ Question addresses WA's renewable energy transition, with the Minister responding by highlighting the government's commitment, criticising the opposition's lack of policy and internal divisions. The response is highly partisan.
AnsweredQoN 358Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Renewable energy358.Ms Sook Yee Laito
theMinister for Energy and Decarbonisation:I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to transform Western Australia into a renewable
energy powerhouse.(1) Can the minister advise the house how the
government is leading a sensible and managed energy transition in Western
Australia?(2) Is the minister
aware of any alternative approach that is being proposed?
theMinister for Energy and Decarbonisation:I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to transform Western Australia into a renewable
energy powerhouse.(1) Can the minister advise the house how the
government is leading a sensible and managed energy transition in Western
Australia?(2) Is the minister
aware of any alternative approach that is being proposed?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
20 August 2025
Response time
0 days
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson replied:I will start by
wishing the Premier a happy birthday and appropriately sucking up to the boss!(1)–(2) The Cook Labor government is and
has been for many years now committed to transitioning out of state-owned coal-fired
power generation by 2030. We are setting a credible trajectory of emissions
reductions to get to net zero by 2050. We have supported net zero by 2050 for
many, many years now and are putting in place the framework to get there and to
support our economy to do that with a renewable energy system that is connected
with new transmission and backed by storage and gas as the backstop. That is
going to be the pathway to the least-cost energy mix into the future.We have seen recently that in
its statement of opportunities, the Australian Energy Market Operator has
backed in our clean energy transition. We have positioned our energy system to
be robust enough to cope with the seasonal fluctuations and to support a
growing economy with an investment of more than $6 billion in initiatives,
including building out the grid in the northern suburbs, leveraging out rooftop
solar through our household battery subsidy for up to 100,000 households,
decarbonising our heavy industry in the Pilbara and helping them transition
into the new economy.Given that energy underpins
everything that we do in Western Australia and our entire economic prosperity,
it is astounding that the Liberal and National Parties went to the last
election with no energy policy.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members! Carry on, minister.Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:The last policy that we saw
out of the Liberal Party was Peter Dutton's nuclear plan. That was a fantasy
that was resoundingly rejected by the community. Prior to that, in 2021, there
was a proposal—Ms Libby Mettaminterjected.The Speaker:Member for Vasse!Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:—of shutting down coal
this year, in 2025. That would have crippled communities like Collie—Ms Libby Mettaminterjected.The Speaker:Member for Vasse, you are making it very
difficult to hear the minister.Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:It would have crippled
communities in the South West and Collie—Ms Libby Mettaminterjected.The Speaker:Member for Vasse!Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:—and it would have
put our grid and energy security at risk. Just when members thought it could
not get worse, the WA Liberal State Council recently voted to dump any attempt
to reach net zero by 2050. Instead of fighting for Western Australians, they
are fighting each other over whether we should even reach net zero when major
economies around the world have been heavily investing into renewable energy.
Countries that do not step up will be left behind right in the Dark Ages,
exactly where the Liberal and National Parties are. We know that the Leader of
the Opposition has gone on a range of listening—Several members
interjected.Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:Thank you, Mr Speaker.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt!Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:We know that the Leader of
the Opposition has embarked on a number of listening tours, most recently in
Mandurah with the member for Canning, Andrew Hastie. Imagine how well that went
when they cannot even listen to each other! The only time we ever see them on
the same page is when they are inThe West
Australianfighting each other.Several members
interjected.Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:Are they listening to each
other? The headline is excellent. It is "Liberals declared 'all out war'
as Hastie targets Zempilas over net zero". If we needed any further proof
that the Liberal Party is in complete chaos, that is it. It has become so used
to the state of chaos that the member for Cottesloe described it as "pretty
normal stuff"!Several members
interjected.Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:No, it was quoted inThe West Australian—"pretty
normal stuff". That was after Andrew Hastie sent a newsletter to his
entire electorate—not just the Liberal Party members, but his entire
electorate—criticising the state Leader of the Opposition because he
supports the status quo. The question is: What is the status quo that the Leader
of the Opposition supports? Is it our sensible and managed plan to transition to
net zero or does he support the status quo of the ongoing chaos in the Liberal
Party? While the Leader of the Opposition is embarking on extensive listening
tours, no-one in the Liberal Party is listening to him. It is clear that no-one
is listening to him. We are backing Western Australia, we are backing
industries and we are backing households. We are making decisions for the
future and for our children and their children. We are not looking backwards
into the past—Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:We are not looking backwards
into the past and to the Dark Ages, which is exactly where the Nationals and
Liberals are, but to the future of prosperity for our children and their
children's children.
Renewable energy
wishing the Premier a happy birthday and appropriately sucking up to the boss!(1)–(2) The Cook Labor government is and
has been for many years now committed to transitioning out of state-owned coal-fired
power generation by 2030. We are setting a credible trajectory of emissions
reductions to get to net zero by 2050. We have supported net zero by 2050 for
many, many years now and are putting in place the framework to get there and to
support our economy to do that with a renewable energy system that is connected
with new transmission and backed by storage and gas as the backstop. That is
going to be the pathway to the least-cost energy mix into the future.We have seen recently that in
its statement of opportunities, the Australian Energy Market Operator has
backed in our clean energy transition. We have positioned our energy system to
be robust enough to cope with the seasonal fluctuations and to support a
growing economy with an investment of more than $6 billion in initiatives,
including building out the grid in the northern suburbs, leveraging out rooftop
solar through our household battery subsidy for up to 100,000 households,
decarbonising our heavy industry in the Pilbara and helping them transition
into the new economy.Given that energy underpins
everything that we do in Western Australia and our entire economic prosperity,
it is astounding that the Liberal and National Parties went to the last
election with no energy policy.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members! Carry on, minister.Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:The last policy that we saw
out of the Liberal Party was Peter Dutton's nuclear plan. That was a fantasy
that was resoundingly rejected by the community. Prior to that, in 2021, there
was a proposal—Ms Libby Mettaminterjected.The Speaker:Member for Vasse!Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:—of shutting down coal
this year, in 2025. That would have crippled communities like Collie—Ms Libby Mettaminterjected.The Speaker:Member for Vasse, you are making it very
difficult to hear the minister.Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:It would have crippled
communities in the South West and Collie—Ms Libby Mettaminterjected.The Speaker:Member for Vasse!Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:—and it would have
put our grid and energy security at risk. Just when members thought it could
not get worse, the WA Liberal State Council recently voted to dump any attempt
to reach net zero by 2050. Instead of fighting for Western Australians, they
are fighting each other over whether we should even reach net zero when major
economies around the world have been heavily investing into renewable energy.
Countries that do not step up will be left behind right in the Dark Ages,
exactly where the Liberal and National Parties are. We know that the Leader of
the Opposition has gone on a range of listening—Several members
interjected.Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:Thank you, Mr Speaker.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt!Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:We know that the Leader of
the Opposition has embarked on a number of listening tours, most recently in
Mandurah with the member for Canning, Andrew Hastie. Imagine how well that went
when they cannot even listen to each other! The only time we ever see them on
the same page is when they are inThe West
Australianfighting each other.Several members
interjected.Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:Are they listening to each
other? The headline is excellent. It is "Liberals declared 'all out war'
as Hastie targets Zempilas over net zero". If we needed any further proof
that the Liberal Party is in complete chaos, that is it. It has become so used
to the state of chaos that the member for Cottesloe described it as "pretty
normal stuff"!Several members
interjected.Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:No, it was quoted inThe West Australian—"pretty
normal stuff". That was after Andrew Hastie sent a newsletter to his
entire electorate—not just the Liberal Party members, but his entire
electorate—criticising the state Leader of the Opposition because he
supports the status quo. The question is: What is the status quo that the Leader
of the Opposition supports? Is it our sensible and managed plan to transition to
net zero or does he support the status quo of the ongoing chaos in the Liberal
Party? While the Leader of the Opposition is embarking on extensive listening
tours, no-one in the Liberal Party is listening to him. It is clear that no-one
is listening to him. We are backing Western Australia, we are backing
industries and we are backing households. We are making decisions for the
future and for our children and their children. We are not looking backwards
into the past—Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson:We are not looking backwards
into the past and to the Dark Ages, which is exactly where the Nationals and
Liberals are, but to the future of prosperity for our children and their
children's children.
Renewable energy
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