Wednesday, 26 August 2026

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for Environment, Minister for Climate Action, Minister for the State Electricity Commission) (12:11): Following on from Mr Davis’s question, I want to talk today about offshore wind, and in particular the auction. As our ageing coal-fired power stations retire, Victorian households and businesses deserve and expect reliable, secure and affordable renewable electricity for future generations, and that is exactly what offshore wind will deliver. The auction is now live. It will help deliver 2 gigawatts of power in Gippsland, which has some of the best offshore wind resources in the world. The first auction alone will provide energy to power 1.5 million homes per year. Backing offshore wind means we are backing jobs and industry. The first 2 gigawatts of offshore wind will support up to 3000 jobs, and 1800 of those jobs will be ongoing. It is contributing $4.6 billion to Victoria’s GSP, including $3.1 billion for Gippsland communities, who will keep powering Victoria for decades thanks to this investment.

We know that offshore wind is not in and of itself enough to keep the lights on. We need cheap onshore renewables and storage to back it up and the transmission to get power to households and businesses. When it comes to offshore wind, I genuinely have not worked out what the position of those opposite is, but we certainly know how they feel about everything else. A Liberal–One Nation coalition will rip up the transmission and renewable projects needed to support offshore wind and keep the lights on. It is only this Labor government that will take bold steps, like delivering offshore wind, to give Victorians the cheap and reliable energy they need and to power Victoria’s economy for decades.