Sky News interview with the Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek

KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: Welcome back to the program. The Albanese Government says it's $100m in extra funding for the Department of Climate Change and Energy has helped it double approvals for renewable energy projects. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek today confirmed the government has approved 11 renewable energy projects since coming to office, double the 5 the coalition approved in a comparable period. Earlier I spoke to Tanya Plibersek about the increased approvals and her response to criticism that new renewables are being offset by her also approving new fossil fuel projects.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek thanks for joining us this Easter Monday. You've announced you've doubled the rate of approvals for renewable energy projects. Can you explain to our viewers how that's been achieved, what's underpinned it?

TANYA PLIBERSEK, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Well, two really important things have changed. The first is that business has predictability and certainty. They know that with the previous government, they had 22 different energy policies, and they didn't land one. We've got one energy policy and we're getting on with delivering it. So that certainty means that business is coming forward with more projects. And then in response to that, we've put on more people, we've invested more to make sure that we can give faster, clearer answers to project proponents. So, we've seen a doubling of the rate of project approvals, but we've also got a record number of renewable energy projects before me for assessment. So, in coming months and years, we'll see even more renewable energy entering into our electricity grid. That means cheaper, cleaner energy for people's homes and businesses. It means lower power bills and lower pollution.

GILBERT: Ninety-five projects, I understand before you now, when you talk about them coming online, how quickly can we expect those investments to come to fruition?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Oh look, the projects are really quite varied. We've got solar projects, wind farms, transmission lines. They vary in size, they're right across the country. So, when they start putting energy into the grid will vary depending on the project. But the faster assessments that businesses are getting when they propose these projects makes a big difference. We can see projects coming online months earlier than they would have otherwise come online because we are speeding up the assessment process.

GILBERT: What's your message to those who, and you know this better than most, there's still those concerns raised about the stability, reliability of renewables versus the traditional base load power sources. What do you say to the critics who argue that it just doesn't have that reliability?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, I think there's a couple of things to say. We can be a renewable energy superpower. Australia has fantastic solar and wind resources in particular, and we've set a target of 82 per cent renewable energy in our grid that'll bring down power bills and it'll of course, bring down pollution as well. That doesn't mean that we don't need firming as well. And I know that the Energy Minister, Chris Bowen, is working very hard to ensure that we've got a national energy grid that gives us that cheaper, cleaner, renewable energy and also the reliability that homes and businesses need.

GILBERT: And I know the argument when you've got more renewables, you're not then subject to the ups and downs of global uncertainty when it comes to some of those traditional fuel sources. You've got that sovereignty. But when does the balance shift for prices? Because you and the Prime Minister, Chris Bowen and others have said it leads to cheaper prices, but it's still a bit of a wait. It might be a bit difficult to put a date on it, but when can we expect to start showing up on our power bills?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, we know that the more renewables we get into the grid, the better prices will be. And millions of Australians have worked that out for themselves. They've put solar panels on their roofs, not because they're mad greenies, but because they've worked out it saves them when it comes to their energy bills. I think you're already seeing the measures that we took at the end of last year contributing to lower future power bills. We've got an Opposition under Peter Dutton that has worked and voted against energy bill price relief for Australian homes and businesses. So, taken altogether, the measures that we're working on as a government are bringing down power bills, bringing down power bills for the future. And that, of course, is more renewables into the grid. But it's also the other measures that we've taken to put caps on coal and gas prices.

GILBERT: Some of your critics, including within the Greens political party, say that your approval of these renewable energy projects is being offset by the approval in fossil fuel projects pointing to at least one expansion of a Santos project. What's your reaction to that?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, I think the really important thing is we have now got a legislated path to net zero carbon emissions in Australia. We know how we're going to get to net zero. That's our contribution to the global effort to deal with climate change. We are on a trajectory to get to net zero carbon pollution in Australia. And the increase in renewable energy is just part of achieving that net zero target. On the Santos project that you're talking about that is a 1.3 per cent expansion of an eight year old project. 

So, I know the Greens political party like to catastrophise these things, but a 1.3 per cent increase in an eight year old project. I think you need to keep that in perspective when we've got an 82 per cent renewable energy target for our power grid, where we've got 95 renewable energy projects ahead of me for assessment. We've doubled the rate of renewable energy project assessments. When we've got offshore wind zones where we'll see the fast tracking of offshore wind, six of those around Australia. We've got stronger measures to protect the ozone layer. We've signed the Global Methane Pledge. We're working on more electric vehicles in our fleet. I mean, all of these measures will bring down carbon pollution. I'm proud to be part of a government that is actually getting on with the job of decarbonising Australia's economy. And it would be terrific if critics like the Greens occasionally recognise the massive transformation that we're engaged in. We've got, I think Chris Bowen has made the point, 82 months to get to 82 per cent of our electricity coming from renewable sources from around 30 per cent. That is as big a change as the Industrial Revolution was for Australia's economy. It's a big deal and we're getting on with the job.

GILBERT: It is a big deal, and it requires, obviously, that massive transformation you referred to. But I wonder, and this has been raised with me by members of the industry, the clean energy sector, that the Inflation Reduction Act that Joe Biden put in place is really firing up investment in those industries in the United States. And they've told me that that's what they hope the Albanese Government will try and match with Australian policy. Is there more that the government can do to help provide those incentives?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Yeah, and we're doing it. I mean, we've got this fantastic National Reconstruction Fund in Ed Husic's portfolio. $15bn in the National Reconstruction Fund, but $3bn of that has been specifically set aside for green tech, clean tech, renewable energy, lowering emissions type industries. So, we've got the potential to be a renewable energy superpower, both in the energy that we are generating, but also in associated industries, like making batteries here in Australia. We've got the policies in place; we've got policy certainty. The previous government had 22 energy policies and didn't land one. We've got one energy policy and we're delivering it. We've also got investment from the manufacturing side, as well as community batteries, as well as the electrification of our vehicle fleets as well. We've got so much working together to see Australia lower its emissions to be part of the global effort to fight climate change. I'm really proud to be part of a government that's getting on with the job.

GILBERT: Minister, I had Prime Minister Albanese on our Sunday program and he said that he's expressed a bit of optimism in the face of the Liberal Party's opposition to The Voice. And I'll just quote this to you. He says, "Australia's political system has changed substantially. Just a couple of weeks ago in the Aston by-election, history was created with something that hadn't happened in over 100 years. We live in different times from when past referendums have been held. The time has come." Do you agree with that sense that the political landscape has shifted sufficient enough for you to win The Voice referendum?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, I think Australians are a fair people. And if you ask the average Australian, are you proud of the fact that we've got 65,000 years of continuous culture and history here in Australia? I think most Australians are proud of that and they'd like to see it recognised in our founding document, the Constitution. If you ask most Australians, do you think Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should have a say over the policies that affect health, employment, education, remote housing? Do you think we'd get a better outcome if we give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians a bigger say over the policies that affect their everyday lives? I think most people say yes. So, if we get beyond this as a political fight between political parties and we talk to people about what are we actually voting on here? Recognition and a say over the policies that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, I think we'll get a yes. And I'm really impressed by the fact that there are so many Liberals around the country that are saying exactly this.

I mean, the Prime Minister's down campaigning with the Premier of Tasmania. You'd have to say the most successful Liberal in the country because he's the only one that's elected as a state or territory leader at the moment. He's a backer of The Voice. We've got Pat Farmer, former Liberal MP who's running right around Australia, who's running 80 kms a day campaigning for The Voice. Former Liberal MP Ken Wyatt, I mean, a very distinguished former Liberal member of Parliament, has actually resigned as Liberal Party membership because he's a backer of constitutional recognition and The Voice. You've got opposition Conservative members in the Northern Territory and other states and territories, leaders in their parties, saying that they're going to campaign for a yes vote.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot of Liberal backbenchers like Bridget Archer that will campaign for a yes vote. But at the end of the day, it's not about political parties, it's about the average ordinary Australian answering the question, should we recognise that as a country we're more than 200 and something years old, we've actually got 65,000 years of history and culture. And should the people who are most affected have a say over policies that affect their lives. Health, education, employment, remote housing, these policies that are making an everyday difference in people in First Australians lives, should they have a say about those? I think it, you know, ends up being a bit of a no brainer.

GILBERT: Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek. Thank you. I appreciate your time, as always.

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Thank you.