Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm a fitter and turner by trade. I'm a bloke who has worked alongside miners, tradies and power station workers, and now I stand here as their representative in this parliament. Sometimes, though, when I come into this place to explain net zero to those opposite, I feel more like a kindergarten teacher than a member of parliament. I don't know if it's selective hearing, genuine misunderstanding or just plain ignorance, but, whenever we talk about reducing our emissions, those opposite leave out the most important word in 'net zero': 'net'. Net zero does not mean shutting down industries. Net zero does not mean zero emissions. Net zero is about one thing: offsets. It means we take as much carbon out of the atmosphere as we put in. It is simple and practical, and industries in the Hunter are already doing it.

One of the lines I always hear is that net zero will close down coalmines. That's rubbish. The Minerals Council of Australia and many coal companies have already set themselves net zero targets by 2050. They did this even before government legislated our national target. So I ask those opposite: why would the peak mining body set net zero targets if it meant destroying their own industry? Why would companies sign up for it if it meant going broke? The answer is obvious: they wouldn't, because net zero is not about shutting up shop. It's about running mines, keeping people in work and reaching net zero through offsets and better technology. Back in 2021, the Minerals Council set out practical steps to get there. These steps included energy efficiency, switching to renewables, carbon capture, methane abatement, electrification and investing in negative emissions technologies. In other words, the industry itself is leading the way.

Another old chestnut is that we should build a new coal-fired power station. Now, coal power is something that has a special place in my heart. Our power stations have kept the lights on in the Hunter for generations. They create good jobs, they built communities like Lake Macquarie, Cessnock and Muswellbrook, and they made the Hunter the powerhouse of the state and of Australia. For that, I will always be grateful. I am not in favour of any of the power stations shutting down earlier than they have to, and, if business came forward tomorrow with a solid plan for a new coal-fired power station in the Hunter, I would happily look at it and have the conversation. I am not opposed to any source of power generation, as long as it stacks up financially. But the truth is that the market has moved on. Our coal stations are ageing and are having many unplanned maintenance outages, and new ones are no longer the cheapest and most efficient way to generate power.

At the same time, Australia is leading the world in rooftop solar, and in the Hunter families are leading that charge. From Kurri to Cessnock to Toronto to Singleton, people are putting solar on their roofs because it saves them money. Not one person is calling solar 'woke' in the Hunter; they are too busy cutting their power bills. We have plenty of sun in this country, so why wouldn't we make the most of it? For those who ask, 'What about when the sun doesn't shine?' the simple answer is something called a battery. It stores solar energy so you can use it at night. With our Cheaper Home Batteries Program, it has never been more affordable. Hunter households are taking it up at one of the fastest rates in the nation, with 106,000 batteries installed since 1 July. A proud coalmining region is proving that you can honour the industry that built us while embracing technology that makes life cheaper and easier. That's the real story of net zero in the Hunter. It's not about sacrifice. It's not about turning our backs on coal. It's about building on our strengths. We can mine coal and use offsets. We can keep our power stations running for as long as the markets support them. We can also be leaders in solar, batteries, renewables, gas and new industries that will take us into the future. That is good for jobs, good for families and good for the Hunter.

The Hunter has always been the engine room of New South Wales. We powered the state through coal, and now we're proving we can lead the way to net zero as well—not by shutting down but by stepping up, not by walking away but by making smart choices. That is what net zero means for us. That's why it's good for the Hunter and that's why we'll continue to support it all away. To the coalmining community out there: remember, for as long as people want to buy our coal we'll always supply it to them. We have the best coal in the world, and we need to make sure we keep using it.

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