Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this motion, a motion that's very interesting. It's ironic that the opposition has the gall to criticise this side about energy and gas. When you look at the past 10 years, the last decade, you see that they've spent a decade in government and all they left was division, denial and no coherent energy policy. In fact, we saw 22 failed policies that got us nowhere. The lack of any policy framework stifled investment and slowed the uptake of renewables. Why would you want to invest if there is no solid policy framework? After 22 failed policies, no-one would want to invest in this area. We could have been in a much better position to deal with this crisis today had the government dealt with it in a way that was coherent and that had a framework. But no—22 policies and division on their side in this area.

So we've been left vulnerable and more exposed to high global gas and coal prices. The previous government knew that electricity prices were skyrocketing. The former energy minister, who is now the shadow Treasurer, even ordered that the information be hidden from the Australian people. In fact, the previous government knew that energy prices would be going up on 1 July 2022 and hid that information from the voters until after the election. So it seems a bit rich that the opposition now choose to be indignant about something that they not only contributed to and created but also hid from the Australian public. A decade of denial and a decade of climate wars—this is what the previous government left us with.

The best way to reduce energy costs is to increase the use of renewables. The science is unanimous about that. Instead of taking action, the previous government did nothing but quote the same line over and over again. That line was, 'The sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow.' How many times did we hear that from the then government? Too many times, and it was just blatant scare tactics, because we know that renewable energy is the future of this nation and, in fact, the future of our earth. We know that it's the best way to ensure investment in renewables, and it's consistent and reliable policy-setting that will do that.

We've seen that in my own home state of South Australia. At the end of last year, South Australia sourced an average of over 100 per cent of its electricity from renewable power for 6½ days straight. This is a record for South Australia, and it's likely a record for all comparable grids around the world. This is thanks to my state's clear and constant—and bipartisan, I must say—commitment to renewables.

Energy prices will be cheaper under our policies, but we know it's not going to happen overnight, especially considering the inaction of the past decade. Our Powering Australia plan will drive investment in more low-cost firmed renewables, and it's estimated to bring on 82 per cent renewables by 2030. We will put downward pressure on power prices by getting more of the cheapest form of energy—firmed renewables—into the energy market.

We also want to unlock our world-class offshore wind energy potential. We will be commencing consultation on six proposed regions with significant potential. Just one rotation of one offshore wind turbine provides as much energy as the average rooftop solar installation generates in one day. We are absolutely committed to renewables. We understand that this is vital to tackle climate change, but it's also vital for our economy and energy market. Compare that to the former government. Who could forget the assertion that electric vehicles will end the weekend? That is what we were hearing. Who could forget the 22 failed energy policies? Who could forget the decade of inaction? Who could forget the billions wasted with nothing to show for it? Australians deserve a government that will protect their future, and this is a job that we take extremely seriously.

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