Tuesday, 11 August 2026

 David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (14:48): I want to draw the chamber’s attention to the government’s botched offshore wind process. Offshore wind has the potential to make a significant contribution to energy in this state, but this government is years behind time. They have delayed their auction once already. The auditor came out very clearly in December last year and said the government’s targets will not be met. That is what the auditor said. The whole energy policy of this government is in a shambles. We know that they need to come clean on what financial and other support –

Harriet Shing interjected.

David DAVIS: Well, she has ridden off into the sunset, leaving something terrible behind her.

I say the state government needs to come clean on what financial support will be provided to offshore wind. The community is entitled to know what the scale and the form of that support will be. The state government has not come clean on the date they are going to go forward. They have not come clean on when the auction will occur. The truth is Ben Carroll was rolled on Thursday and Friday. He initially said he would review the offshore wind position, but by 4:45 on Friday, the statement went out to a couple of journalists to say, ‘Oh, no, the auction is back on.’ The truth is it is a shambles, it is chaos, and the government needs to get a grip on this. It needs to send good signals to those international investors and others, instead of the chaos that currently exists.