Zaneta Mascarenhas MP
House of Representatives, Parliament House, Canberra
Bills
I rise to speak on the Net Zero Economy Authority Bill 2024. The thing that I'd say about the Australian Labor Party is that what we want to see is action on climate change. We want to take workers on the journey and we want to keep the lights on as well. I think that it's interesting that we've got the Greens on one side, who literally want to turn the lights off today, and then we've got the coalition on the other side, denying that climate change is happening. The truth is that it's the Australian Labor Party that will be in the best position to take us on this journey to net zero emissions.
I think that it's important to understand our relationship with the resource sector. I'm a proud Western Australian, born and bred in the Goldfields. I have resources in my blood; I'm an engineer who has worked on the mines. But I am also someone who wants to see action on climate change. In WA, coal was first discovered in the Collie basin back in 1883. A few years later, the Collie coalmining district was declared, a railway was extended to Collie before the turn of the century and the production of coal began. Back then, in the 1800s, it was a pretty tough life for miners, but it was an important industry that saw the development of Western Australia. It was also an important development for the railway network and the regions in WA. By 1930, that industry had flourished and employed over 800 workers. By the 1950s, this had risen to 1,400 miners in the Collie basin. It remained a significant industry in the 2000s and employed 1,200 people on the mines and a thousand people in power stations and support industries. For decades, Collie has supported WA families, workers and industries. They've literally kept the lights on for households, industry and businesses.
As we decarbonise, the nature of our regions will change. I recognise our regions are the powerhouse of our country. That's where we get our food. That's where we get our minerals. That's where we get our energy resources. As we decarbonise, I want to make sure that we take these communities on board, because they have done so much for us in the past, and we absolutely want them to continue to play an important role in our country. The thing that's great about Collie is that it is now an example of the economic and energy transformation that is underway in our nation.
Some years ago, a just transition working group was formed, and it was a partnership between private business, unions, workers and communities. They started thinking about plans for the future and how they wanted their town to be. So, when the Western Australian government announced their plan for an energy transition—which is about turning off coal-fired power stations by 2030—the community knew that they had a positive future and positive industries to ensure that their town continued to thrive. Collie is a beautiful place with beautiful old-growth forest trees. They have a lovely dam, and they've got some great bike trails as well. It's a really beautiful place to go visit. The interesting thing will be to see the industries that will develop in this town. The WA government committed $0.5 billion to a transition package, which included a fund to attract new industries. Among the new industries that have been discussed are a pilot plan for graphite and pumped hydro—a new alternative energy source—and they're also investing in skills. We don't want to see this in just one coal powered town in WA; we need to make sure that we see this across the nation. That's exact what this Net Zero Economy Authority bill does.
Let's think about it. This is about a transformation journey to net zero. But let's face it—it's not a journey; it's a race. It's a race that this government is committed to winning. We know that there is work that we must do to get there, and it's not a journey that we've embarked on lightly. It's something that we've taken very seriously, unlike the previous government. The previous government did not prepare to act and did not have a plan. They ignored the race and they ignored what was happening around them. They avoided the challenge that was before them. A coherent energy policy—did that exist? No. A climate change policy—did that exist? No. Actually, I think that there were 20 policies in total. Was there a strategic approach to the energy transition? No. There was no plan, no foresight and no long-term strategy about how to ensure the replacement of 24 coal fired plants such as Collie.
Since coming into office, the Albanese government has turned this around. In our budget, we announced further initiatives to keep us on the path to net zero, and that pathway runs through Western Australia. The decisions that we make now will make a huge difference for our future. Australia has the potential to be a renewable energy power. We are going to do this by investing in programs to make sure that we get there, with $3.2 billion through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. This will help the commercialisation of clean tech over 10 years. It also includes $1.7 billion for the Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund. We should be a country that makes things here. This will support tech-linked priority sectors including green metals, batteries and low-carbon liquids. We also have $6.7 billion in hydrogen production tax credits from 2027 to 2050. Hydrogen is a little molecule with big ambition, and it is something that's going to help transform our energy use across Australia, with the $1.3 billion Hydrogen Headstart program to support early movers. There is also $7 billion for critical mineral production tax incentives for 31 critical minerals processed and refined up until 2040. There is also $1.5 billion to strengthen battery and solar supply chains. We saw during the pandemic that supply chains became very vulnerable. We need to make sure that we have robust supply chains so that we can make these projects shovel-ready.
We also have $0.5 billion for Geoscience to map Australia's critical minerals and groundwater systems. There is also $15 million for foundational activities for green metal development, which is something that I'm really excited about. If we can create green steel, this is going to transform the way that the world does its construction. Then there is $27 million to integrate household solar and batteries into the grid.
Our budget is one that invests in our clean future and a Future Made in Australia. We're creating new, secure and well-paid jobs in our regions like Collie but also in suburbs like the ones in my electorate—High Wycombe, Belmont, Redcliffe, Forrestfield. We're making sure that we're building infrastructure and clean energy to power new growth and a new generation of advanced manufacturing. We need to make more things here, and we're introducing legislation to do just that. Australian made means Australian jobs. These decisions are examples of a government leading from the front and preparing our country for a renewable energy future, examples of a government that places the future of Australians at the forefront of our policy, to ensure that our future is made in Australia.
This bill to establish the Net Zero Economy Authority supports Australian industries, workers and families to join the pathway to net zero. The new statutory agency will play an important role in driving our strategy. It will provide a centre for coordination and planning. It will foster and promote investment from the private and public sectors. It's very important to me and very important to Western Australia, and it will support workers affected by the transition.
I am the daughter of a miner. I grew up in a nickel-mining town. My dad worked for a mining company for 19 years after he moved to Australia. When commodity prices hit rock bottom, I saw mass redundancies in my town. My dad, who had become the breadwinner at the age of 15, was basically told that he was redundant—'You're no longer needed.' He would have been in his mid-50s and probably at the end of his working career, because he had already worked for four decades as a metalworker. In this place, it's really important that we remember to think about the workers and put workers at the heart of our economy when we're looking at transitions. We need to make sure that we look after workers and take them on this journey as we see our economy transition.
This authority will collaborate with employers, unions and stakeholders to help retain people and find new opportunities. It will be able to do this through our establishing a legislative framework for an energy industry jobs plan. We'll look at redeployment and new opportunities that are key to the transition. Skills and experience are valuable, and we know that. I would say that my dad, when he didn't have employment, felt the opposite. He felt not valuable and not worthy. I want to make sure that we take people along on the journey. So making sure that we connect workers to interested employers will be a role for this authority, helping workers to find meaningful employment through the transition.
We need to make sure that families are safe, secure and connected to their communities. This is important to everyone and a part of the Australian way of life. That's why Labor is putting these measures into place, so that all Australians can continue to enjoy and appreciate our lucky country. We will help businesses overcome the challenges of closures and help regional economies move smoothly through the process. A resilient and robust local workforce and economy will be the way to do this.
The authority will play an important part in facilitating a holistic approach to the transition—one that would not have been possible under the previous government. We are a government with perspective. We are a government who care. We are a government for all Australians, not just a few. The authority will support the inclusion and participation of our First Nations communities in the transition. Education and promotional initiatives will be a part of the role of the authority, to ensure that communities remain informed of the facts.
It's not just me or Labor that supports the establishment of this authority; there is widespread community support. The government engaged a variety of stakeholders, including First Nations groups, education and training providers, industry, investors, regional bodies, communities, state and local governments and, of course, the mighty union movement.
The authority will be governed by an independent board of a chair and up to eight members appointed by the responsible minister. We will ensure the board is responsible, representative and accountable. The board composition will include two members with experience from the union movement and two members that have experience in business, industry and finance or investment. Other members must have experience in either industrial relations, labour markets, economics, decarbonisation, technologies or policies, climate change, energy markets and regional development, First Nations engagement, advocacy, community leadership, public or corporate governance. We listened to the experts, and we want to make sure we get this decision right for our future.
In conclusion, we know that workers in communities have always played a significant role in the energy industry, right back to the 1890s—the Collie I talked about earlier versus the Collie of the 2030s. For this government, it will continue to see these communities play an important role—and that is our No. 1 priority as we travel on the pathway to net zero. While we're travelling on this journey together, it's not in isolation; it's a race. I commend the bill to the House.
