Yalumba Winery Solar Panel Installation

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:26): My question is to the Minister for Climate Change. Will the minister update the chamber about Yalumba's recent investment in renewable energy?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:26): What a fantastic question to end the day on. On 12 October, I was delighted to be at the Yalumba Winery to celebrate a midway point of what will be the largest commercial installation of solar panels at any Australian winery. When fully installed, there will be 1.4 megawatts of solar panels, provided through AGL, across three of Yalumba's sites at Angaston.

Yalumba is a great family run business with a well-known legacy of producing great, high quality wines. They also have a fantastic commitment to the principles of long-term sustainability for their business. In 2007, Yalumba was the first wine company in the world to receive the Climate Protection Award from the US EPA, a recognition of their commitment to our natural environment. Yalumba also has a sustainability agreement with the South Australian EPA, recognising their commitment to best practice environmental management standards. Yalumba is one of the many successful South Australian businesses supporting the transition to a low carbon economy of the future.

Investments like the one made by Yalumba, provide renewable energy suppliers, such as AGL in this case, with a customer base to underpin their continued expansion in the renewable sector. For AGL, this market support helps reaffirm their commitment to zero net emissions by 2050 for their company. South Australia has a strong competitive advantage in both the wine and renewable energy sectors, with an excellent natural environment underpinned by our excellent biosecurity.

As extreme weather events in South Australia over the past month have shown, climate change presents a significant global challenge and one that we will also face here. However, with that challenge comes significant economic opportunity. The government recognises the benefits that come from taking action to harness the transition to a low carbon economy. Renewable energy solutions, such as those provided by AGL and taken up by Yalumba, will be an absolutely critical component to Australia meeting our international obligations.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: How much does it cost?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Our international obligations that the Hon. David Ridgway's party, at the federal government level, signed up to in Paris last year. Is he moving himself away from the federal Liberal Party at the national level, in terms of their international agreements? Is he removing himself? Is that what he is doing because he hates renewables?

The PRESIDENT: Order! If you want to know how much they cost, ask a supplementary. Minister.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: This opportunity also comes at a time of significant economic challenge for our country. We are in the midst of an economic transition from our traditional manufacturing base towards a new economy where premium food, education, tourism and high-end manufacturing will lead the way into the future. This is why we must turn our attention to those areas where we have a competitive advantage. Renewable energy is an industry that plays to our strengths and has enormous potential, and we have already made great strides. From a virtual standing start in 2003, when we came into government, about 43 per cent of the state's electricity is now generated from renewable energy sources, based on our latest data for 2015-16.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: How much is that?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: We have one of the highest per capita penetrations of solar energy in the country and roughly one-third of Australia's wind farm installed capacity. These achievements don't happen overnight. They happen because we set bold and achievable goals and, unlike those opposite in the Liberal Party, we stick to them.

In 2009, we announced that we would increase the state's renewable energy production target to 33 per cent by 2020. Some of those opposite at the time and their friends in the media, the usual suspects, might have howled at us, but business and consumers rejoiced. By providing this unambiguous target, we gave business the certainty that they need to invest for the long term in clean renewable energy, and as a result we achieved our goal by 2013-14, significantly ahead of the scheduled time of 2020. We now have a goal of 50 per cent renewable by 2025. This is all about us playing our part in the global challenge of moving towards a clean energy system.

A total of 81 renewable energy companies have made a commitment to go 100 per cent renewable, including well-known brands like IKEA, Apple, Bloomberg, BMW and Facebook. The international business community and investors want to invest in renewables, and by providing policy certainty we have captured some $6.6 billion of investment to date in our state. Importantly, some $2.4 billion of that, or around 40 per cent of that investment, has occurred in regional South Australia. Our goal is to have $10 billion invested by 2025, meaning economic opportunity and more jobs for South Australians.

Last year we set our most ambitious target yet, for South Australia to have zero net emissions by 2050. We also signed an agreement with the Adelaide City Council to make Adelaide the world's first carbon neutral city. Emissions now are 8 per cent lower than in 1990, whilst at the same time we have increased the size of our economy by 60 per cent. The Liberals opposite laugh, because their fellow travellers in Adelaide City Council try to undermine this ambitious goal. I have news for them: they will not be able to.

The strong and unambiguous policy framework set out by our Premier is creating real jobs right here in South Australia—high-skilled, high-wage jobs for South Australians, jobs that enable workers to re-enter the workforce, jobs that provide opportunities for graduates and young jobseekers. That is what this Labor government will continue to provide for our state, despite the Liberal Party in South Australia holding us back and trying to take us back to the coal age.