Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The ongoing conflict involving Iran has now triggered oil price spikes and renewed volatility in global energy markets. It's a clear reminder that, in an era of geopolitical instability, Australia needs energy sovereignty more than ever. Clean energy storage, efficiency and electrification are not just climate solutions; they are economic resilience and national security solutions.

Recent global shocks show that Australia's dependence on oil and gas leaves us exposed to crises beyond our control, but renewable energy, generated locally and supported by storage, gives us more control over our energy costs and reliability. Increasingly, defence and security leaders are also recognising and calling for climate change, as a national security issue, to be elevated in how we address it. This week it emerged that some of the loudest voices against climate action and a transition to renewable energy—Pauline Hanson, Matt Canavan and Kevin Hogan in this place—access subsidised solar support for their own homes. It shows that, no matter your politics and what you say in this place, the benefits of renewable energy are abundantly clear in reducing cost-of-living issues.

Australia must accelerate the rollout of clean energy across the economy. We must electrify homes, apartments, transport and small businesses so Australians are less exposed to oil and gas price shocks. We need to ensure apartment residents are not left behind in the clean energy transition. Shared solar, battery storage and strata-friendly programs are essentially but sadly missing, as are government incentives for household energy efficiencies and rolling them out to stratas.

In Warringah we're already seeing what home electrification can achieve. For example, Rob McKay, a Cremorne resident, helped lead his nine-apartment strata block through the installation of a rooftop solar and battery system. He told us that this was a real feel-good story for him and his neighbours, saying:

It reduces your power bill significantly. It reduces demand on the grid, and we are lowering greenhouse gases. It's also been good for community building in our block.

This is exactly why I launched the new Warringah Sustainability Guide. It helps households and businesses to plan upgrades, to cut energy bills, access government rebates and incentives, and understand the interaction between local government, state and federal supports. It strengthens resilience to extreme weather and international energy price shocks. This week, my amazing team of volunteers—I have to do the shout-out and thank you—will also be hosting free electrification events across our community and at the Neutral Bay Community Centre. In Warringah, we're committed to helping lead that transition to a more sustainable and resilient economy.