Hydrogen Industry

Mrs POWER (Elder) (14:58): My question is to the Minister for Energy and Mining. Can the minister update the house on the latest developments in the Marshall Liberal government's plan to plan for a green hydrogen export industry in South Australia?

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart—Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:58): Thank you very much, member for Elder, who has joined me at the Tonsley Innovation Precinct for many projects to do with hydrogen. I was shocked to hear that the opposition doesn't believe that we can export our abundant renewable energy generation to other states and in parallel produce green hydrogen here in South Australia as well. What an out-of-date and static old-school approach to energy policy and the environment!

As well as energy, we are charged with important environmental responsibilities, which we take very seriously. The frequency with which we receive transmission of positive assessments of our Marshall Liberal government's energy policies is nothing short of electrifying. This includes, with regard to South Australia's—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: —capacitor, to use our abundant existing and future renewable energy generation for green hydrogen production, consumption and export. The opposition should read the sign, wave down the opportunities to supply the load of policy development which is demanded of them, stop trying to insulate themselves from the reality and stop trying to battery the government when we are getting on with the job of delivering a pipeline of positive energy projects.

These projects include green hydrogen exports, interconnection, renewable energy which benefits consumers of all sizes and types, household and grid-scale storage, judicious use of gas and efficient modern gas generators, voluntary demand management and much more. The opposition, when in government, imposed in series ever-increasing energy costs, ever-decreasing grid reliability and detrimental economic and social outcomes for our state. They should be ashamed of such a poor transmission to the modern energy world which awaits us.

If the heart of the opposition needs to be zapped with frequency to realise that our government is on the right line, and if those opposite don't have enough distributed energy among them to do it for themselves, then interconnect the terminals, energise them immediately, stand clear and we will gladly hit the switch and turn the lights on for them.

It might appear that that very genuine and very serious answer was a tribute to my good friend the Minister for Transport, but it was actually with my very hardworking and capable staff in mind, who think occasionally that their minister is too serious.