Renewable Energy Initiatives

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (15:02): My question is to the Minister for Climate Change. Will the minister inform the chamber about how helping to reduce emissions is helping to create jobs and new economic opportunities in South Australia?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:02): What a fantastic question from a fantastic member. This is the issue that the Liberals don't seem to understand, or if they do understand it, they take the Malcolm Turnbull approach of, 'Get that fact away from me because it is upsetting my position.' It is very timely because I have spoken in this place previously about the incredible opportunities that arise in terms of the global transition to a low-carbon economy and the opportunities it presents for our state.

As of December 2016, I am advised that we have seen an incredible $7.1 billion invested in renewable energy projects in our state. They've gone quiet now, Mr President, because the facts are scaring them. $7.1 billion has been invested in renewable energy projects locally in South Australia. Of course, as I said before, more than 40 per cent—that is, some $3 billion worth of this investment—has been put into our regions because that is where a lot of the programs are installed. This means more jobs and greater economic opportunities right across our state, and our government is committed to provide certainty for business that requires that certainty for long-term investment because there is one thing we know business needs if they are to invest, and that is that certainty about long-term investment.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: And we've got the Hon. Terry Stephens over there doing his Abbott and Costello act—

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: Make sure you get my name right, because you're a disgrace.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: —laughing out loud.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: Laughing at you, you joke.

The PRESIDENT: Go on.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: Well, he's a joke. Thank you. I've made my point.

The PRESIDENT: Have you finished?

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: I could keep going.

The PRESIDENT: Well, if you want to, if you want to waste question time.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: How do you stand up in this place and be proud of your state government's record?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: You won't know.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: You are appalling.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: You won't be there.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: You are appalling, and how proud are you? You've taken us to the bottom of the pile.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: Take charge, Mr President, get on with it.

The PRESIDENT: You've already used up two of your questions for today, so two of your questions will go to the crossbench. Minister, finish your answer.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: This side of the chamber, the Labor government at present, understands what business needs, not the Liberal opposition. If business relied on the Liberal opposition, they would be in a very sad state here. They need to know that the money they invest in these significant programs, which develop local jobs for South Australians, won't be undermined by arbitrary decisions by governments who seek to change policy just to score political points.

Woe betide any wind investor in South Australia investing in wind energy projects if the Hon. David Ridgway ever succeeds to the Treasury benches, because he has a pathological hatred of wind energy. The sovereign risk that that represents to our industries—the Hon. David Ridgway represents a massive sovereign risk to anyone who wants to invest billions of dollars into the state, and business knows about it. They are very scared about what might happen if the Liberal Party is ever elected to the Treasury benches in this place.

This was also highlighted, just yesterday, in a letter published by a group of 18 prominent Australian organisations, urging broad cross-party support for energy market reform. The letter stated:

The next stage of the Finkel Review should be an opportunity to explore these possibilities and develop a comprehensive and integrated suite of reforms. Policy should be implemented promptly with broad based political support.

The letter was co-signed by the Australian Aluminium Council, the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Australian Council of Social Services, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Australian Energy Council, the Australian Industry Group, the Australian Steel Institute, the Business Council of Australia, Cement Industry Federation, Chemistry in Australia, Clean Energy Council, Energy Efficiency Council, Energy Networks Australia, Energy Users Association of Australia, the Investor Group on Climate Change, St Vincent de Paul Society National Council, The Climate Institute and WWF Australia. This is a cross-section, if there ever was one, of Australian communities, businesses and NGOs all in strong agreement.

So, it was no surprise to read the outrage that was expressed from local government and business and environment groups when Steven Marshall, the Leader of the Opposition and member for Dunstan, announced that the state Liberals would abolish our Renewable Energy Target—50 per cent of supply by 2025—that they would undermine a $7.1 billion and growing sector just to play political football. Let's just think about what this could mean for South Australians.

In 2015, $329 billion was invested globally in renewable energy. That is a staggering figure. In 2015, $329 billion was invested globally in renewable energy—a 431 per cent increase since 2005, I am advised. In China alone, renewable energy investment increased by 157 per cent in 2010 to just over $100 billion in 2015.

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: And how much coal have they got?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Those opposite, through both their words and their actions—the Hon. Mr Lucas is now saying, 'And how much coal have they got?' Their only answer over there is coal, that's all they have. Now those opposite are saying they don't care about these investment opportunities for South Australians; they don't think South Australia should continue to share in the jobs of the global transition to renewable and sustainable energy. It is pretty hard to fathom that someone who believes they are the alternative premier can't stand up for billions worth of jobs and investment. That is what we are faced with: Steven Marshall, Leader of the Opposition, member for Dunstan, can't stand up and say, 'I want to attract those billions of dollars that are out there for investment for jobs and industry in South Australia.' He can't do it, because the Liberal Party right wing won't let him.

What do South Australians think about the Liberal Party's attempts to abandon renewable energy? The Adelaide City Council Lord Mayor, Martin Haese, said that it would be a crying shame if we were to stop that flow of investment or stop South Australia from getting its fair share. Mr Martin Haese added that South Australians deserve grid stability and that a diversity of energy sources and substantial investment in large-scale solar battery storage technology will counter the intermittent nature of wind and solar power. Even the Australian Energy Council said:

State-based targets may be…borne out of a frustration at the lack of progress at a national level.

Repower Port Augusta campaigner, Mr Dan Spencer, highlighted the severe drop in investment when the Abbott government walked away from the Renewable Energy Target. Spencer said:

We saw investment basically collapse when the Abbott Government announced the review of the [national] renewable energy target. We're only now…really seeing that pick up again.

Clean Energy Council Chief Executive, Mr Kane Thornton has said that without the state's RET:

…whenever we are going to have future investment in energy in Australia it is going to be in renewable energy.

It is as simple as this, the rest of the world is investing in renewable energy. We can either continue with our RET and harness the billions of dollars of the global investment that is waiting to find a home, or we can abolish the RET, which Steven Marshall, the member for Dunstan, the Liberal opposition leader, has said he wants to do, and watch the investment, that hard fought investment in our state, in our power infrastructure, fall away and flow somewhere else in the world, just like it did when prime minister Abbott and then Mr Turnbull threw the national target into doubt and created uncertainty for business who wanted to invest in this country.

The Australian Conservation Council has said that the South Australian opposition has 'shown that they're not ready to guide the state into the future.' That is polite, Mr President. I couldn't agree more, but I would have put it a little bit more firmly. Business couldn't agree more, but they would probably put it a bit more firmly when they talk to you privately, and the South Australian community couldn't agree more. This is just another example of why Steven Marshall, the member for Dunstan, the Leader of the Opposition, is not fit to lead this state. He fails to stand up for our state at every opportunity that is put in front of him. He has backed the big polluters in the coal lobby.

The South Australian Liberal Party has completely abrogated any sense of leadership and they are trying to outsource it to the federal government so they can avoid any particular policy decisions that might cause them some grief. This is the same federal government that has shown time and time again that it doesn't have our interests in South Australia at heart, the same federal government that tried to tear up the Murray Darling Basin Plan and is only now back on track because the Premier of this state fought, once again, to take it out of the hands of Barnaby Joyce and put it into COAG so the Prime Minister can directly involve himself in it. This is the same federal government—

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Point of order, sir: we have had an eight minute answer to a Dorothy Dixer question and we haven't yet got to a crossbench question. I ask you to draw the minister to a conclusion.

The PRESIDENT: Minister, can you come to a conclusion, very quickly?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I can indeed, Mr President, I have six paragraphs left. This is the same government that saw an almost 90 per cent fall in investment in renewable energy when they tried to remove the federal RET. This is the same government that it now turns out ignored expert advice that wind was not to blame for the September 28 blackout last year. Instead of listening to the experts and supporting South Australian jobs and investment, they jumped on the anti-renewable bandwagon with great abandon. Mr Cory Bernardi, Pauline Hanson, Malcolm Turnbull and now Steven Marshall are all jumping up and down blaming renewable energy. What a fantastic team.

Doesn't that inspire you in terms of their leadership of the state? We need a government that can manage this imperfect electricity system and get a better outcome for South Australians. I am proud of what we've done for this state but there is much more that we want to do to make sure that we get a reliable electricity system for our state, a cheap electricity system for our state, a clean electricity system for our state, and we are prepared to help the federal government meet their international commitments, if it requires us keeping our RET. The state Liberals have clearly said that is out the window and they're not interested in it, and that will be a point of demarcation in 12 months' time.