Wednesday, 12 November 2025

 Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (23:08): (2083) My adjournment tonight is to the Minister for Energy and Resources. António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, has been blunt in the lead-up to the COP30 climate conference in Belém: the world must phase out fossil fuels, full stop. I want us to take up that call as an invitation to move faster with hope and possibility, because across Victoria our communities are already showing the way – rooftops shine with solar; households are swapping out gas for efficient electric appliances; schools and sports clubs are installing batteries; and local councils are installing EV chargers. Victorians are leaning in. They want a safe climate, cleaner air and lower bills, and they are doing that one induction cooktop and heat pump at a time. They are doing it for the planet and they are doing it to save money. It would seem an absolute no-brainer that the state government matches that speed and commitment, but sadly, it is not. Victoria has world-class wind and solar resources, a deep manufacturing base and workers ready to build and scale up our clean energy future. We need more renewables bolstered by storage, community batteries in our suburbs, rooftop and commercial solar on every viable roof and a public-led push to electrify homes and small businesses. It is an optimistic agenda that creates jobs, lowers bills and cuts pollution.

So tonight my adjournment is to the Minister for Energy and Resources. In the spirit of COP30 and the huge task we collectively face, I ask the minister to bring forward a phase-out plan for fossil fuels, one that (1) rules out any new gas exploration and approving new gas projects, (2) accelerates the coal exit on a clear timetable with a fully funded worker-led transition package and regional diversification so no-one is left behind, (3) prioritises the rapid rollout of new publicly and community owned solar, wind and other renewable generation projects across Victoria to ensure the state achieves and maintains 100 per cent renewable electricity with capacity to meet rising demand from electrification of transport, heating and industry and (4) scales up storage and transmission with genuine community benefit sharing and in partnership with First Peoples. Victorians are ready. They are investing their own savings in solar and batteries. They are organising bulk buys and co-ops. COP30 outlines a new momentum, and our communities give us the mandate. Let us answer both of these with a timeframe that actually phases out fossil fuels and a plan that is based on intergenerational justice that powers our homes and industries with clean energy and secures a healthier, climate-safe future for every Victorian.