Tuesday, 25 August 2026

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for Environment, Minister for Climate Action, Minister for the State Electricity Commission) (12:49): I would like to use my ministers statement today to update the house on how only a Labor government will ensure the lights stay on and bills stay down by building VNI West. Victoria’s ageing coal-fired power stations will retire. This is not ideology, this is reality. AEMO, CSIRO and the independent experts all agree renewables are the cheapest form of new generation you can build, and that is why VNI West matters. It connects new and existing generation into the grid, including from Snowy 2.0 in New South Wales. This then moves to households and businesses. As our state’s electricity usage grows, so must our network that moves the electricity around the state. Cancelling VNI West is what happens when a panicked coalition lets political survival dictate energy policy. It is reckless, and it is driven by anti-renewables ideology, risking blackouts and soaring power bills for Victorian families and businesses. Around 4.65 gigawatts worth of new renewable generation and storage projects are seeking to connect to the grid through the VNI. That is approximately $11.6 billion of investment that will leave the state if the projects do not proceed. Not building VNI West will stop the energy transition in its tracks, along with $18 billion of wages that the energy transition will bring to regional communities.

This government has a plan. It is working. Not only are renewables now supplying 45 per cent of Victoria’s power but our prices are the cheapest in the nation. Those opposite – who I honestly do not believe the shadow minister actually even agrees with – will throw out this cheap renewable power and gamble with Victoria’s power system, just to appease One Nation voters. Only this Labor government will keep Victoria’s lights on and the power bills down.

 David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:51): I move:

That Minister D’Ambrosio’s statement be taken into account on the next day of meeting.

Sonja Terpstra: On a point of order, President, Mr Davis has been in his place long enough to know that he should refer to people in this place by their correct title.

The PRESIDENT: I uphold the point of order. I do not think Mr Davis wants me to put the question.

Georgie Crozier: On a point of order, President, I would ask that a number of questions that I have asked be reinstated – including the last one – and be answered, including on the percentage. The minister can clearly find that out. She failed to answer my question around why they have failed to release the data. She said it is coming soon. Well, she said that last week.

The PRESIDENT: I am happy to review the answers and get back to the chamber – to the last question, I believe.