Thursday, 9 June 2022

Energy policy

Mr TAYLOR (Bayswater) (17:04): (6417) I wish to raise a matter for the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. The action that I seek is for the minister to update my community on the Andrews Labor government’s nation-leading rollout of renewable energy to create lots of clean jobs. Whether it is Victoria’s Big Battery, the biggest battery in the Southern Hemisphere; our game-changing Solar Homes program, which is putting nearly 800 000 solar panels on roofs across the state; or our huge investment to back in offshore wind recently to power 1.5 million Victorian homes, Victoria is absolutely leading the way. All of this and so much more did not happen overnight or by accident. This has been a consistent and purposeful approach by this government, which gets and understands the importance of investing in renewable energy sources to get us to net zero emissions by 2050.

Getting to net zero emissions will mean we need to continue to be bold and invest in Victorian-made renewable sources. We will achieve our 50 per cent renewables target by 2030, and that is why we have set an ambitious target to bring online Australia’s first offshore windfarm. In doing so, we will be creating lots and lots of clean jobs as the world continues to transition to cheaper and more reliable renewable energy sources, and we will be safeguarding Victoria’s future as a powerhouse in the energy market. I am so proud to be part of a government that does not let ideology get in the way of these things but backs in local industry and backs in local jobs and is truly working towards a clean future we can indeed all be proud of. There is a lot more work to be done, and I know this government, which has led the way on renewable energy and our emissions reductions targets nationally, will get it done. I indeed thank my local community for their commitment to investing also in renewables, and I thank the minister for her consideration of my question.