Wednesday, 20 March 2019

 Ms SANDELL (Melbourne) (11:26): My question is to the Premier. Premier, on Friday we saw over 30 000 people take to the streets in Melbourne supporting students in the School Strike 4 Climate action. These schoolkids were striking to send a very clear message to all politicians that they want no new coal and gas projects. And just last night the state of the environment report detailed how Victoria is already feeling the impacts of climate change, such as more extreme bushfires and droughts. My question is: how can this government justify support for new fossil fuel projects such as extending coal mining licences, increasing offshore gas exploration, supporting a new gas import terminal and giving public funds to a coal-to-hydrogen project when in fact our own kids are demanding that we do not invest in any new coal and gas projects?

Mr Pearson interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Essendon can leave the chamber for the period of 1 hour.

Mr Pearson withdrew from chamber.

 Mr ANDREWS (Mulgrave—Premier) (11:27): I do thank the member for Melbourne for her question. I think I would take a slightly different view and perhaps interpret the protest of last week a little bit differently to the member for Melbourne. I do not think we necessarily would agree on that, but I want to make a couple of comments about what those young people were marching for and the fact that I was more than supportive.

We often bemoan young people for not necessarily being engaged in the issues of the moment—‘They’re on devices all the time; they’re not concerned; they’re in their own world’. And we did have a lot of commentary in relation to last Friday that it was somehow shameful that kids might take a stand and be concerned about their future and their stake in it. People are free to have different views about that, but I would have been proud if any of my three kids had decided to be involved in that. As it was, they did not; they made a choice not to. They are pretty engaged in lots of other stuff though, and that makes Cath and me very proud. I do not think you should criticise people for standing up for the things that they believe in. That is the first point I would make. Secondly, I just reiterate I do not necessarily agree with the way in which the member for Melbourne has interpreted that action on Friday.

Thirdly, I would just say this: we are on track to deliver 25 per cent renewable energy by 2020, 40 per cent by 2025 and 50 per cent by 2030. That is profound leadership. It is creating jobs. It is creating certainty. It is creating the additional supply in the market that puts down the pressure on prices for households and for businesses. Whilst the member for Melbourne is critical of our position in relation to offshore gas, I will let the member for Melbourne in on a secret: I get a lot of criticism for the policy settings that I have been proud to put in place in relation to gas. That is not normally one of them, but we are proudly a frack-free state, and we will write that into the constitution of our state in full delivery of our election commitment.

We need a domestic gas reserve in this country so that our gas is for our businesses and our households first, and then whatever is left can be exported to the rest of the world for whatever price can be sought and gained for it. The credentials of this government in relation to those issues of gas and protecting our farming environment, our dairy country, our wine country are essentially knowing and understanding that when it comes to something like fracking you cannot separate the economy from the environment. I would have thought they were well-known. It could be a point of agreement between the Greens political party and the government and the chamber, perhaps. Beyond that, our commitment for renewable energy and all the benefits that flow from that is well-known and well understood. But I will say to the member for Melbourne: it is simply wrong to try and assert that fossil fuels are not part of our current energy mix. They are. That is a practical reality. What we are doing about that reality, though, is putting in place the policies that drive a powerful transition to renewable energy—a true act of leadership, not just in our state but in our nation.

 Ms SANDELL (Melbourne) (11:30): In fact the demands of the strike were very, very clear: 100 per cent renewables by 2030 but also no new coal and gas projects. And that is publicly known. As I have said before, the government should be congratulated on their support for renewables and the fracking ban, but my question was specifically about coal and gas, and unfortunately it is a fact that this Labor government is supporting not just previous coal and gas projects but actually new ones, such as extending the licences for Yallourn and Loy Yang coal stations, committing to $50 million of public money for a coal-to-hydrogen project and the release of new oil and gas reserves off the western coast of Victoria. Last week the former chairman of the Australian Coal Association, Ian Dunlop, described all new fossil fuel projects as ‘crimes against humanity’. So my question is: does the Premier acknowledge that this government’s support for new gas and coal projects is directly at odds with the survival of today’s students and future generations?

 Mr ANDREWS (Mulgrave—Premier) (11:31): I find myself having to deal with multiple assumptions and questions within that supplementary.

Ms Sandell interjected.

Mr ANDREWS: Well, that is part of why we are here. Sometimes we do have to debate different issues and we have to discuss whether my interpretation of matters is more accurate or less accurate than yours, member for Melbourne. With the greatest of respect, I do not agree with the assertions, assumptions and the contention that you have put to us. This government proudly has a practical, commonsense agenda that is being delivered. It is not just commentary, it is not just talk, it is not just words; it is jobs, it is megawatts, it is lower emissions and it is not necessarily universally popular. So I will just say to the member for Melbourne: thank you for the question and for the supplementary. You are entitled to your views, but what the government is entitled to do and obliged to do is deliver the agenda we have mapped out, and that is exactly what we will be doing.