Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

I thank the member for Gippsland for his motion on the importance of natural gas. Like the member for Riverina, I wish the member for Gippsland all the best. I will miss him tomorrow morning when the mighty Queensland parliamentary team takes on the New South Wales team—

No, the member for Gippsland won't be turning out for Queensland, but I note that the member for Casey, as a good Victorian, will be turning out for Queensland. I look forward to him being an honorary Queenslander tomorrow!

This motion gives me an opportunity to talk about Labor's forward-thinking Future Gas Strategy and our commitment to net zero by 2050. I mention this international commitment as the Leader of the Opposition has no intention of keeping this promise. Never mind that the effects of climate change have caused a global crisis. Never mind that we need to achieve net zero to keep our planet livable. Unlike those opposite, the Albanese Labor government is serious about climate change. We are working towards our aim to reduce our carbon emissions by 43 per cent, or better, by 2030. We must achieve net zero emissions by 2050 or before—many scientists say before. We're also working hard towards a target of 82 per cent renewable energy in our grid by 2030. The more renewables, the cheaper for Moreton households their electricity bills will be. We know that. When you drive around my community, you see solar panels on nearly every other house.

While Labor takes positive action, the Leader of the Opposition seems to be hanging everything on the idea of being able to provide a nuclear power station in two decades time or more. After 22 or 23 failed energy policies, it's sad that this is the best the coalition can come up with—it's sort of the poor man's culture wars, I guess. It would be laughable if it weren't so delusional and so serious. The only renewable energy that the member for Dickson seems to believe in is ignorance. There are no details about how much nuclear will cost hardworking Australians. The coalition need to come clean about how much their nuclear policy will end up costing and how they intend to get around state legislation banning nuclear power. Obviously, they can nationalise the sites—the Constitution does provide for that, if just terms are paid—and then they can co-opt Homer Simpson into the Commonwealth Public Service to run the reactors out in the bush or wherever they will be. What could possibly go wrong?

Instead of building castles in the air that look like cooling towers, which is the opposition plan, Labor is focused on the cheapest form of energy: renewables, firmed-up renewables and even more renewables. Under Labor, we've had a 25 per cent increase in renewables in the grid, record investment in batteries and storage, and over 330,000 rooftop solar installations last year alone. We've green-lit more than 50 renewable projects since the last election and we're already halfway to meeting our 2030 emissions reduction target in the national grid.

Where does gas fit into this, as per the member's motion? Gas is the bridge to net zero. Why? Because you can instantly turn gas off and on, unlike coal and unlike nuclear. Labor's Future Gas Strategy acknowledges that, although the role of gas must change, gas must be available and affordable. It has a key role to play in our transition to net zero. It provides energy security for homes, for industry and for jobs right now, as our grid slowly changes. The strategy is evidence based and does not invest taxpayer money in gas operations. It states our commitment to net zero by 2050 and affirms that gas must remain affordable for Australians during this transition period. The strategy acknowledges that new sources of gas supply will be needed to support demand throughout the transition and that gas and electricity markets must adapt and remain fit for purpose. New gas fields supplying LNG must be carbon neutral from the start of operations. They've been given a zero baseline allocation for the reservoir CO2 in their new fields. As coal-fired power stations across the country shut down—this is very old capital, obviously—a mix of renewables, storage and gas will be used to ensure ongoing supply. We envisage that gas-powered electricity generation will be used to meet, particularly, peak demand events—a very cold night; or State of Origin half-time, when everyone in Queensland and New South Wales goes out at the one time to turn their kettles on. While we're working towards this transition, and as coal-fired power plants go offline, it's crucial that we do not suffer from power blackouts or astronomical energy bills or have to close down manufacturing plants that rely on gas. That would not be a realistic approach to our country's energy demands.

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