Interview with Jeremy Jones, ABC Radio Capricornia

JEREMY JONES: Later on. But what do you know about net zero emissions? The Australian Government wants to set up an authority focusing in on it. But what does it mean for Central Queensland? We're seeing so many green projects come online, like hydrogen and wind farms. Senator Jenny McAllister is the Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, and she joins you now. Thank you very much for your time, Senator.

JENNY MCALLISTER: It's a pleasure, Jeremy, it's really great to join you.

JEREMY JONES: Legislation was tabled yesterday to establish the Net Zero Economy Authority. How's it going to work?

JENNY MCALLISTER: Look, we are at the start of a very important shift in Australian economic history. We are transitioning from an economy powered by fossil fuels to one that will be powered by clean energy and green industries. And places like Central Queensland are really at the heart of that. These are regions that have powered the Australian economy for decades, if not centuries in some cases, and we want them to continue to be at the heart of our industrial capability for decades to come. The Net Zero Economy Authority is designed to work with local communities, with local businesses, with local employers, with investors, with workers and with unions to make sure that the transition is as smooth as possible, and that we coordinate all of the activities that are necessary to really secure those clean energy jobs that we know can make Australia so successful in the emerging international economy.

JEREMY JONES: On that, a joint study between the University of Melbourne and Queensland found Australia will need to speed up and broaden its decarbonisation efforts to achieve net zero by 2050. Is this ambitious and is the authority a chance to achieve this?

JENNY MCALLISTER: Certainly Australia's goals are ambitious. We are an emissions intensive economy and so we are going to have to work hard to get to net zero by 2050. But the positive is this, we are blessed with abundant renewable resources and all of the critical minerals that are necessary to build the infrastructure we need in this new economy. We've also got a stable investment environment and most importantly, a big pool of skilled, capable labour, and that's exemplified, of course, in the workforces that sit around Central Queensland, working in mines, working in refineries, working in smelters, working in power stations. In these workforces are all of the skills that we need to make this successful transition. And one of the jobs of the Net Zero Economy Agency is to make sure that we harness all of that capability and keep it on tap so that as we make our way through this transition.

JEREMY JONES: And there's been pushback on some projects in CQ, lack of consultation by companies, with landholders. Will the authority address these challenges?

JENNY MCALLISTER: The Commonwealth Government is really aware that for the last decade, the previous government didn't pay enough attention to this question. You know, we were going through a transition already, just without any support from the Liberals and the Nationals under the previous government. And amongst other things, that meant that they didn't pay very much attention at all to the way that community was experiencing this transition. We know that this will be a period of change for many people in the Australian economy, including rural landholders. We want to make sure that those landholders have the tools and the skills and the information they need to make good choices about their local area and the opportunities that present for them on their properties.

JEREMY JONES: You're hearing from the Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Senator Jenny McAllister. And the Australian Government wants to set up an authority focusing on achieving net zero emissions. Senator, what happens to this authority if the government changes?

JENNY MCALLISTER: Look, this will be a statutory authority and we would hope that it would receive bipartisan support. It is, of course, notionally the policy of the opposition to support net zero. Any sensible government of any flavour would support an organisation like this. It will be governed by representatives from business and representatives from trade unions. It will allow business workers, communities, and investors to plan together for the future. I would hope that an entity like this would receive bipartisan support.

JEREMY JONES: And what's the timeline now for the legislation?

JENNY MCALLISTER: The legislation was introduced last week, in fact, and our goal is to pass that legislation by the end of the year so that we can get this entity up and running next year. But we haven't, of course, been waiting for this to occur. In the interim, we've had an agency set up within government. It's been headed by Greg Combet, a man who will be well known to many of your listeners. And Greg's been doing a power of work setting up the arrangements for this new entity, but also working with businesses right across the country, but particularly in emissions intensive regions like Central Queensland, to really understand what is going to be needed for us to make this transition together.

JEREMY JONES: Well, Senator, thank you very much for your time this morning.

JENNY MCALLISTER: It's a pleasure, Jeremy, thanks for having me on.

JEREMY JONES: Senator Jenny McAllister, joining us there. She's the Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy.