Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia has the potential to be a renewable energy superpower not only generating renewable energy but also manufacturing the components to ensure that we are world leaders in renewable energy production, creating thousands of jobs in the process. But right now Keppel Prince workers are outside in Portland, Victoria, where cheap, imported wind towers are currently being unloaded to be used in the federal government's Snowy Hydro 2.0 project. These wind towers will be used to generate energy for Snowy 2.0, and yet the wind turbines have been brought in from overseas to the only town in Australia that actually manufactures wind towers. How ridiculous is that? Cheap overseas wind towers are being brought in and delivered through the port in the town that already makes Australian made wind towers. What an absolute disgrace.

Keppel Prince has already said that 150 jobs are on the line at its Portland factory unless the federal government brings in new laws to force companies to use local products when building new wind farms. At the very least the government should be stepping in to ensure that these wind farms that will be used to generate energy for the Snowy Hydro support local manufacturing.

Keppel Prince have already sacked 15 per cent of their workforce due to this decision. These workers are standing out in the cold right now, fighting to protect their jobs and their livelihoods. The Morrison government had the opportunity to support local manufacturing workers in renewables and they didn't. It's not that they can't do something to stop this. It is that they won't do anything to help these workers. I asked these questions directly to the officials responsible for Snowy Hydro, and do you know what they said during estimates? The CEO and managing director, Mr Broad, said:

I feel for those workers. I feel very much for them.

…   …   …

It breaks my heart to think that they can't be competitive, but I'm sure they're not after a handout.

Supporting local Australian manufacturing is not a handout. These workers don't want a handout. They want to be supported by a government that backs them.

Snowy Hydro is a government owned entity. Its executives earn millions of dollars in bonuses and salaries every year, and yet they can't lift a finger to help Australian workers. There are a lot of corporate buzzwords in the Snowy Hydro supplier code of conduct. There are words like 'teamwork', 'decency' and 'courage', but not a single word in that code directs any company that supplies energy to Snowy Hydro to buy any of their content locally, and that is shameful. Labor won't stand by while these towers are paraded through Portland past the very workers who have lost their jobs, because of this government's actions. There's a wind farm in Far North Queensland with 53 wind turbines. Every single one of them was manufactured overseas, because this government is failing to support renewable energy. Instead of being driven through the regional towns on big trucks, these wind turbines should be being built in the regions by Aussie workers.

Over the eight long, tired years of the Liberal-National government, they have turned their backs on regional manufacturing. This week we know that real jobs are being lost while the Nationals, who supposedly support the regions, are fighting amongst themselves like children. Regional Queenslanders will never forget that it was the LNP that sent Queensland trains to be built overseas in India. It was the Labor government that brought them back to Maryborough. Regional Queenslanders will never forget that it was the Liberal and National parties that challenged the Australian car manufacturing industry to leave, to go offshore, and let the industry die under their watch. Regional Queenslanders will never forget that the Morrison government vetoed a wind farm in Far North Queensland that would have created 250 jobs, and neither the minister, Mr Pitt, nor the local member, Mr Entsch, or anybody lifted a finger to make sure that these jobs would be created. Australians will never forget that it is the Liberals and Nationals who are choosing right now to let wind towers from overseas drive past Australian workers in Portland. These workers from Keppel Prince deserve the support of their government. The government has continually sold out manufacturing workers. Only a Labor government will deliver manufacturing for local workers to make sure that we build the renewable energy components to make us a world— (Time expired)