Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question as to the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction. Can the minister inform the House how the Morrison government is investing in technology to create jobs, support Australian industry and manufacturing and drive down our emissions, and is the minister aware of any alternative policies?

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Robertson for her question. As someone who previously worked in the telecommunications sector, she knows how important new technology is to creating jobs, and that includes in her electorate on the Central Coast and includes businesses like Star Scientific that we recently saw—world-beating technology from Australia using hydrogen in a world-beating way to produce heat and electricity, right there on the Central Coast.

Our Technology Investment Roadmap is all about driving $80 billion of combined public and private sector investment in clean technologies and low emissions technologies—160,000 jobs over the coming decade. And ARENA is central to that plan. We've given ARENA an additional $1.4 billion of baseline funding—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

Mr Bowen interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The members for Sydney and McMahon—the minister has the call.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We've given ARENA another $1.4 billion of baseline funding, but on top of that—

Ms Coker interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Member for Corangamite can leave under standing order 94(a). I can't make it any more clear.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On top of that, we've committed $192 million to additional programs, including investments in electric vehicle charging, hydrogen refuelling, microgrids for regional Australia, $20 million for new technologies for heavy vehicles and $47 million for energy efficiency in heavy industries—1,400 jobs from those programs. That new funding hasn't just been supported by ARENA; it has been supported by 20 different organisations, including the Business Council of Australia, the Ai Group, the National Farmers Federation, ClimateWorks and the Investor Group on Climate Change. But, sadly, it hasn't been supported by the Labor Party—not by the Labor Party—because yesterday the member for McMahon sought to out-green the Greens by opposing 1,400 jobs. But these are jobs for clean technologies!

Just last week he opposed 1,800 new jobs in the Hunter Valley, and he has committed Labor to opposing investment in electric vehicle charging, regional renewable energy and energy efficiency. In a few short months, the member for McMahon has been able to achieve what it took seven long years and three election losses for the member for Hindmarsh to achieve, and that is a deeply divided Labor Party that is turning its back on the workers of Australia. (Time expired)