Sharon Grierson (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to speak on the government's Clean Energy Future legislation. Today in the chamber the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency said:

The 19 bills comprising the clean energy legislation and the Steel Transformation Plan Bill represent one of the most important environmental and economic reforms in this nation's history.

It is days like today that make the people on this side of the House proud to be members of this government and proud to be members of the Australian Labor Party. In my electorate we have waited a long time for this legislation and we have been preparing for it. I hear so many members on the other side spread fear through scaremongering about the loss of jobs and the threat to the economy. This defies the realities of a place like Newcastle, the city I represent. It is a city that once was dependent on one industry, BHP Steelmaking, yet we learned about diversification, innovation and investing in skills and modern capital. We also learned about the powers of collaboration.

For the 10 years since the CSIRO Energy Centre came to Newcastle we have been preparing for this legislation. In 2007, when this government was elected, we were ready and since then capacity has been built around a clean energy economy, with investment exceeding $300 million. The clean energy technology centre, the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources, the Australian Solar Institute, and Smart Grid, Smart City are wonderful things, but there is one thing missing—a mechanism to price carbon and increase the competitiveness of clean and renewable energy. That is exactly what these bills do. That is why today is such a wonderful day for places like Newcastle.

It is extremely important to know that this legislation also sustains existing industry. I have said before and I will keep saying that there is no minister who better understands how important it is to sustain employment by sustaining jobs in our traditional industries. In an electorate like mine, we value-add to steel from Whyalla. We make the steel products at OneSteel using innovation to make innovative products that are used all over this nation. We make the aluminium and at Tomago Aluminium we are going to diversify and value-add to that product as well. We make cement. We also export the biggest volume of coal in the world. Under this government there is support for every one of those industries. I have been astounded by this government's willingness to listen and to respond to the needs of current industries and the jobs that they create.

The other side have been really concerned because they have seen, not only in action but also at the tax forum and the jobs forum last week, a willingness from all stakeholders to step into the future and face with realism the challenges that confront our industries and our economy. A Prime Minister's task force has been set up to look at sustaining industry, just as a Prime Minister's task force was set up when BHP closed in Newcastle. I know that under the Gillard government this will be an extension of everything that is good in this legislation.

It is always disappointing when the voices of those who should know a lot better spread fear and untruths, misrepresenting the realities of our economy. For example, the Premier of New South Wales, Barry O'Farrell, repeated fallacious claims that up to 13,000 people in the Hunter would lose their jobs. That is not true. All the modelling says job growth in the Hunter is real. Mr Baldwin, the member for Paterson, said the coal industry in Newcastle is doomed. What rubbish—there is billions of dollars in forward investment and new terminals are being created by three different entities. Finally we have the legislation to boost our investment in clean energy and the future economy. (Time expired)

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