Wednesday, 8 March 2023

Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain

David HODGETT (Croydon) (14:07): My question is to the Minister for Energy and Resources. It has been reported today that Minister Pallas has secured a $2.35 billion deal with Japan for a project that will use Victorian coal and carbon capture to generate clean hydrogen for export to Japan. Will the minister guarantee her support for this project?

Lily D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park – Minister for Climate Action, Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for the State Electricity Commission) (14:08): I am absolutely delighted to answer this question. What I can guarantee the member is that this government will deliver on every single election commitment that we have made to reduce our emissions in this state by 75 to 80 per cent by 2035 and net zero by 2045. And everything that we do is about reducing our emissions, creating 59,000 jobs –

Members interjecting.

Lily D’AMBROSIO: And can I suggest that the honourable Leader of the Opposition stop his little whining and little niggling on the other side and start to actually be the grown-up –

The SPEAKER: Order! Before I call the point of order, I would ask those at the table to cease interjecting across the table.

James Newbury: Speaker, I stood to take a point of order on relevance and to bring the minister back to the question, which was seeking to guarantee her support for the project, but I will also take a point of order for the language the minister just used and the way she spoke across the chamber – I found it quite objectionable.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order raised by –

Jacinta Allan: Which one?

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the first point of order that was raised by the Manager of Opposition Business, can I make the point, Speaker, that the minister was being entirely relevant to the question. There was a very long – and one might say a rather pointless – preamble, but nonetheless, there was a long preamble which has given the minister plenty of room to expand on her answer, and I ask that you rule the first point of order out of order and that you remind the Manager of Opposition Business that points of order are not to be used in the way that he does to disrupt the business of the house.

The SPEAKER: Order! I have mentioned in the house many times that points of order are to be succinct. The Manager of Opposition Business raised two points of order, which obviously is incorrect. The first point of order I rule out of order as the minister was being relevant. In relation to the second point of order there was so much toing and froing across the table I did not hear the language that was used.

Lily D’AMBROSIO: I conclude by simply saying every commitment that we have made we will achieve, regardless of what others might wish to do. Any project that comes to government for consideration – any project – there is a thorough process and judicious diligence. We do not pre-empt any of that. Whatever the conclusions might be, one thing is for sure: our commitment will create the 59,000 jobs and bring back the SEC, owning 100 per cent renewable energy for the SEC. That is exactly what we will deliver. We are actually decarbonising our energy system at the fastest rate right across the country, and we will not be deviated from that. We will deliver. We will create those thousands of jobs, bringing Victorians with us, making the right choices at the right time. That is exactly what we will deliver.

David HODGETT (Croydon) (14:11): The Australian Hydrogen Council has said this project is fundamental for Australia’s energy transition. Given the Minister for Trade and Investment’s support of this project, why won’t the minister support further investment in this hydrogen technology for Victoria?

Lily D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park – Minister for Climate Action, Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for the State Electricity Commission) (14:12): Can I just say that the member’s assertions are absolutely based on incorrect information, number one. That deals with that. The fact is I will not be taking any lectures from those opposite, who wouldn’t know how to attract one investment dollar to this state. What they are good at is closing things down, whether they are schools, whether they are hospitals, whether they are selling off the energy system to their mates in the private sector and ripping billions of dollars of profits away from Victorians –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, I ask you to bring the minister back on relevance. This is not an opportunity to sledge the opposition.

The SPEAKER: I do ask the minister to come back to answering the question.

Lily D’AMBROSIO: The question was absolutely based on a wrong proposition. The fact remains that we will create 59,000 jobs in the new energy sector. We will deliver that; we are delivering that already, bringing back the SEC and creating 59,000 jobs for Victorians in new energy technologies. All of those have learned nothing on that side. They have learned nothing other than that privatisation of – (Time expired)