Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council Press Conference

GUY BARNETT: Well look a very special day for Tasmania and for the Energy and Climate Change Ministers across the country. A special welcome to Chris Bowen, our federal Minister and my colleague, colleagues and friends from across all the jurisdictions of Australia.

It's great to be able to host here in Tasmania, we are so proud of our renewable energy credentials. 100% fully self-sufficient in renewable energy here in Tasmania. We've now legislated to target 200% by 2040, 150% by 2030, zero net emissions nine of the last nine years here in Tasmania, so we're well and truly on target and progressing very positively in terms of our efforts about growing our economy, delivering more jobs, further investment, and of course, putting downward pressure on electricity prices.

In Tasmania we have affordable, reliable and clean electricity. 100% clean. And so we are very pleased and proud to do that. It was really great to be able to host Minister Bowen and colleague Ministers at Lake Cethana, our pumped hydro project, planned by HydroTasmania 750 megawatt pumped hydro project, which would be connected and directly relevant to Marinus Link, Battery of the Nation, plans for Tasmania and of course, our plans for green hydrogen.

So it's really special to be able to host that event here in Devonport at the Paranaple center, Aboriginal word for where the river meets the sea to be welcomed last night by the mayor of Devonport. We are very honored to be here in a regional part of Tasmania and in regional Australia.

So it's great to be able to welcome the Ministers here. It's been a very productive, very enjoyable visit yesterday and last night. And then of course today. And I'll pass now to our Federal Minister Chris Bowen, thank you for your leadership, Chris, for your efforts to progress in so many different ways with some very important decisions around progressing our national hydrogen strategy in a whole range of other areas as well. But I'll pass it to Chris Bowen, and we'll go from there. Thanks so much.

CHRIS BOWEN: Thanks very much, Guy. Thanks for hosting us here yesterday and today in Devonport.

Well, that was a very productive meeting of the Energy and Climate Ministers of Australia today. A range of updates from our energy market operators and regulators on reliability, ensuring that we're building the capacity necessary for ongoing reliability across our grids. Both the National Energy Market and the West Australian and Northern Territory grids, updates on preparing for summer in terms of connections and capacity to ensuring that we're getting every single connection approved in speedy time and of course, an update on the work that Energy Ministers approved at our last meeting, providing more resources to AEMO to ensure that continues.

Of course, we discussed energy bills, and the update on the work that states and territories have done together to ensure real and meaningful relief working with the Commonwealth for people with energy bills which are too high.

Also, of course, this is not just an Energy Ministers meeting. It's also an energy and climate Ministers Meeting welcome Reece Whitby & Lauren Moss, the Climate Change Ministers of Western Australia Northern Territory, as well as those of us who are Energy and Climate Ministers jointly.

Importantly, states and territories agreed with me that we will work together on the development of the country's new net zero 2050 plan. Working towards our emissions reduction target by 2030 is of course important, but we can't lose sight of the longer-term plans as well. And it's all part of one journey.

And this journey will only be completed by full and complete cooperation across all levels of government. It was great to have Matt Burnett, the Mayor of Gladstone representing local government here as well today. But what we will do is, we agreed on full and complete work to ensure that at the net zero plan, which I on behalf of the Commonwealth, will notify the UNFCCC of in due course when it's complete, when that's notifying, in effect, the Paris Accord of our new net zero plan, it will be one with input from the states and territories in relation to the important work not just across the electricity system, but transport systems, industry, the built environment, etc. And we are looking forward to further updates our next meeting in Perth in November.

Of course, there was much else on the agenda, many technical and detail matters agreed, updates on the state of the gas market, updates on the work that's being done across all jurisdictions to ensure reliability and affordability, and emissions reduction. But I'm happy to take questions and I'm sure my colleagues will be able to take questions about any particular matters in relation to what we discussed today. Over to you.

JOURNALIST: What were the discussions around affordability? Have there been any changes or steps taken in order to ensure that energy is more affordable

BOWEN: We got an update on the work of course that has been agreed in relation to the coal and gas caps, which have been in place since December and are making a real and meaningful difference. And indeed, the update we got from the Australian Energy Regulator confirmed the Australian Energy Regulator’s view that those gas and coal caps have made a real and meaningful difference in reducing energy price rises.

And of course, the rollout for the rebates which will apply to 5 million households across Australia, which is from the first of July in place, important updates on that, and of course agreement to continue to work together on those but those are decisions that we've already made and are rolling out.

JOURNALIST: What was the update on the gas market?

BOWEN: The update on the gas market is that it is in good shape. That we are seeing increasing commitments from gas suppliers in response to the federal government's gas code of conduct which has been negotiated, which I'll have more to say on in coming days, that the storage levels are high across our grid in the various places where gas is stored. And that while of course there are always issues to manage, regulators were pleased with the state of the gas market.

JOURNALIST: What was the reasoning behind having the meeting here in Tasmania?

BOWEN: Well, we share it around the country. It's important that energy and climate Ministers get out and see real life projects. And I want to thank Guy for taking this yesterday Lake Cethana. It was a good visit. You can read as many briefing notes as you like. We all read 1000s of them every week. But to actually see projects to go down into the bowels of the power station for those of us who are able to do it. I also separately spent time yesterday at Cement Australia, Railton. A very big emitter, a very big energy user, but one that's committed to reducing emissions. And I want to take this opportunity to join with Tasmanians and celebrating Cement Australia, Railton’s 100th anniversary this week, 100 years they're making cement at that site. I believe they can make cement there for many, many more decades. And also reduce their emissions which we're working with them to do through our safeguards reforms.

The reason why I say that, that’s an example of what you can see when you come to a place like Devonport, and we'll do similar when we go to Western Australia in November.

What do you make of the opposition against Marinus Link?

BOWEN: Marinus Link is a very important project. Guy has mentioned 11 or 12 times today that Tasmania is 100% renewable in case it had slipped out of memory and has a plan to get to 200% renewable but only get to 200% renewable if there is somewhere to send the power. No point being 200% renewable unless you can export it.

Tasmania can export it to the mainland, can only do that if there's more links between Tasmania and the mainland. The key to making Tasmania 200% renewable and all the jobs and investment that that will create is Marinus Link. That's why both governments have committed to it. That's why we remain committed to it. They'll always be a range of views about these things. But it's very, very important for Tasmania's future, for creating jobs for the future and for the stability of our broader energy grid.

JOURNALIST: What did you make of Peter Dutton’s speech calling for a ramping up of nuclear power?

BOWEN: I mean, here we go again. I mean, the same party which told us for 10 years federally, we didn't need to worry about climate change now says they've got the answer and it's nuclear.

Nuclear is slow to build. It’s impossibly expensive. And Peter Dutton needs to explain where the nuclear reactors will be. He talked about micro reactors today. Started at small and now he's on micro. What's next? Reactors in the glint in his eye. I mean, where is where is this going?

Noise occurs

Excuse me. Don’t know what that was. Peter Dutton perhaps?

What's next? These reactors are shrinking before our eyes because it's ridiculous. Now, the Nuclear for Australia Committee called for 80 of these things. 80 small modular reactors.

Where will they go? What will the cost be? Some of his own party acknowledged they'll cost $10 billion each. The only thing small about a small modular reactor is its output. Nothing small about its cost. Nothing small about the waste created.

If Mr. Dutton’s serious, he will in his next speech explain where they'll be, what electorates, what towns are getting a nuclear reactor, and what the impact on the federal budget is.

His Deputy Mr. Littleproud, the Leader of the National Party said it wouldn't cost a cent, which will come as a considerable surprise to the nuclear industry that they're going to build them for free.

Anything else?

JOURNALIST: Will Labor ever support nuclear?

BOWEN: No there's no point, because it's a distraction. We've had 10 years of denial and delay. And now we have an attempt at a distraction.

I'll tell you what the future of Australia is; a renewable energy superpower, not a nuclear backwater.

JOURNALIST: And, finally on this subject, he claims the government was mesmerized by the glare of solar panels and wind turbines.

BOWEN: Well, if Mr. Dutton is accusing me and the federal government of being too committed to renewable energy, that's a criticism that I will proudly take because we are committed to renewable energy because that is the future.

Mr. Dutton doesn't understand renewable energy. He says renewable energy doesn't work at night. He hasn't heard of wind turbines which keep working and he hasn't heard of storage. He doesn't know how a battery works. He says a battery only works for an hour. Every time he opens his mouth. Mr. Dutton shows he does not understand renewable energy.

He did not get the memo from the Australian people last year, when they threw out his climate-denying Government. He has not changed.

And I say this, Peter Dutton as Prime Minister would be worse for the climate than Scott Morrison. And that takes some doing, the man who carried a lump of coal into the House of Representatives was better on climate than Peter Dutton.

That's the low bar that Peter Dutton has managed to get below.

JOURNALIST: Are you making progress on the changing of the natural gas name?

BOWEN: There was no consensus on that. Ministers will refer to gas and state jurisdictions and territory jurisdictions will refer to gas in ways which they choose. How gas is referred to in the law is a very different matter. And more complicated matter. It has legal ramifications, no doubt.

It'll continue to be discussed, but no change to that.

Okay, well then, thank you very much.