Interview with Graeme Day, 2ST South Coast

GRAEME DAY: Now, you would have heard that around about an hour ago there was an announcement as far as Wingecarribee Shire Council was concerned and also the Memorial Pool at Moss Vale. And Chris Bowen, MP, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, is in town and he's on the line.

G'day. How are you?

CHRIS BOWEN: I'm well, how are you, mate?

GRAEME DAY: Not too bad, not too bad. You’ve been one out on the hustings but also sharing some time with one of your colleagues who has decided not to run at the next election and maybe one of your new colleagues.

CHRIS BOWEN: Carol Berry, the candidate for Whitlam and I were together this morning making a pretty good announcement. It's a bit of a win-win that reduces the ratepayer’s energy bills for Wingecarribee and reduces carbon emissions very substantially as well.

GRAEME DAY: And it's one of those things where it's using technology, surpassing the old technology, but new technology to deliver a saving. I think it's about $171,000 as far as the pool's concerned.

CHRIS BOWEN: Yeah, that's right. And for those listeners who might not have caught up with the news, what we've announced today is that we, the Federal Government, will fund with Wingecarribee council converting the gas heating of the War Memorial Pool in Moss Vale to electric heat pump. Now, that will, as you said, save the council's energy bill about $170,000 a year. And for a council of Wingecarribee's size, that's a good saving.

It will also reduce their carbon emissions down by half a million kilograms a year. That's no small thing. Again, usually often council's biggest emissions will come from their swimming pool. You know, it takes a lot of energy to heat all that water and it's very expensive - can be very expensive to change that to heat pumps. So, we've been going around partnering with local councils to fund the conversion. 50-50 each, council to Federal Government to heat pumps that will effectively make the Moss Vale War Memorial Pool carbon neutral, which is no small thing. It basically takes the council's biggest emitting facility and makes it carbon free.

GRAEME DAY: I would imagine that there's many regional areas that reach out to the Federal Government for these type of schemes. And I know that your portfolio is a tough one because I know that whenever you make an announcement as far as the climate is concerned, you get the doomsayers saying, "it won't work, this won't happen" what have you. And I've heard you argue in Parliament as far as climate and the climate change and energy and what have you. Do you get frustrated sometimes that you're trying to get the message out about the planet and people just won't accept it?

CHRIS BOWEN: It's part of the job, Graeme, it’s part of the job. And you're right. You know, whenever we make an announcement, and no doubt some of your listeners, some people say, "Well, that's not-", you know, "Climate change isn't real. Why are we spending money on this?" Well, I disagree.

Fundamentally the science of climate change is as certain as the science that tobacco causes cancer. So, we can't ignore it. You get other people who say, "Well, that's all very well, but you know, what about this and that and this and that?" Well, what we do is we reduce emissions step by step. So, half a million kilograms today is a reasonable amount, and you don't get to 43 percent emissions reduction in one step. You get there by lots of medium sized steps.

And you know, as I said, electricity bills down too. Energy bills down for the council. And what's good for the planet is good for your pocket. So, even if you don't believe in climate change, and I accept there's about ten percent of people out there who don't - I do very passionately. But even if you don't, okay, we'll reduce your energy bills anyway as part of, you know, for the ratepayers. So, Wingecarribee Council got $170,000 less they need to find every year.

GRAEME DAY: I get many emails from people that are just really concerned about their electricity bills, their energy bills and how they're getting to the stage where they can't afford them. Now, I know that we're going into election, and I know your government said that you'd bring electricity bills down, but the government's - and I'm not being soft on you here, but the government can only do so much, can't they? They can only work so hard to get that down. It's really up to companies to work with you if we want to reduce the cost of living.

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, that's true, but it's also, the companies are also. I'm not here to defend energy companies, but we're all working in the context of electricity prices going up right around the world. I mean, you know, some of your listeners who've got friends and relatives overseas would know that actually energy prices have gone up much more in some countries over the last few years. And that's as a result of many factors, including the war in Ukraine. And I know some, again, some listeners will be saying, "Hang on, Ukraine's a long way from Australia." Well, when the world’s largest supply of gas, Russia, gets involved in a land war in Europe, that does impact on gas prices everywhere. And gas prices going up is what's led to the big spike in energy prices right around the world.

But a couple of fundamental things don't change though. It doesn't change that renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy. Some people say to me, "Well, if renewable energy is so cheap, how come my bill hasn't gone down?" Well, the simple answer to that is because we don't have enough renewable energy in yet. You know, we just hit 46 percent renewable energy. That's good, but it's not yet 50 or beyond. And the most expensive form of energy will set the price. So, we've got to get less reliance on those most expensive forms of energy, gas and coal. And more reliance on renewables, the cheapest form of energy.

GRAEME DAY: Just in closing, just let me ask this question - I know you're very passionate about it. Did you cringe when you heard the President of the United States with his we're going to "dig, dig, dig"? Because it seems now that it's let some companies off the hook. I'm just reading out of the New York Times this morning, "The European Commission has proposed to greatly loosen requirements on companies to report on the impacts of their operations. And the energy giant BP said it would increase spending on oil and gas and sharply basically come back on clean energy investments." Did you have a cringe moment then thinking, "how are you going to get out of this explanation?"

CHRIS BOWEN: Oh, great. Well, Graeme – I mean, you know, if I spent my time commenting on everything President Trump said over the next four years –

GRAEME DAY: You'd be busy.

CHRIS BOWEN: I'd be pretty busy. I choose just to get on with the job. But I'd say this, you know, he'll be President for four years and you know, Presidents change. It just - presidency just changed.

But I'll tell you what doesn't change, two fundamental facts. Climate change is real and temperature records are tumbling every day. You know, every year is the hottest year. That doesn't change. And the other thing that doesn't change is that renewables are the cheapest and quickest to build form of energy - that doesn't change. Doesn't matter who the President of the United States is. They're both laws of science. So, that doesn't change my approach. You might have heard, you know, the saying, you know, the famous economist J.M. Cain said, "When the facts change, I change my mind." Well, that's true. But when the facts don't change. I don't change my mind. It hasn't changed. The renewable energy is cheap, and that climate change is real.

GRAEME DAY: Okay, great to talk to you this morning and thanks for delivering some dosh to the regional areas of NSW and good luck with the election, whenever that is.

CHRIS BOWEN: I love the Southern Highlands, and I love it even more when I bring some money to reduce emissions and bills. So, there you go.

GRAEME DAY: Okay, great to talk, mate.