Wednesday, 1 November 2023

Petitions

Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain

Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) presented a petition bearing 2473 signatures:

The Petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council that a consortium of businesses is proposing a highly polluting brown-coal-to-hydrogen project in the Latrobe Valley and that the Treasurer has expressed that the Government will further assess the feasibility of the project.

The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project would turn brown coal into hydrogen for export to Japan, while proposing to use carbon capture and storage technology to store carbon dioxide (CO2) in disused offshore gas wells, a technology that has not been proven to work at this scale anywhere in the world. Amid a climate crisis, this new coal project would extend the life of Australia’s dirtiest fossil fuel and according to The Australia Institute, create between 2.9 to 3.8 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to stop the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project in the Latrobe Valley and begin the urgent phase out of all existing coal projects with appropriate support for workers and communities.

Sarah MANSFIELD: As this is a petition qualifying for debate under standing order 11.03(10), I give notice that I intend to move ‘That the petition be taken into consideration’ on Wednesday of next sitting week.