Op Ed: Australia can’t afford to miss clean energy opportunities

Our future shared wellbeing depends on a safe climate and on access to cheaper, cleaner energy. 

The work to create that future is occurring at speed but failure to reap the benefits of Australia’s remarkable opportunity to be at the forefront of positive change would be daft in the extreme.

Australia has the best renewable resources on the planet. 

We have the critical minerals, the ingenuity and the talent. 

We have the work ethic, creative instinct, and can-do business culture required to drive innovation.

But Australia is also vulnerable to the impact of climate change, and we have already experienced the kinds of harm caused by global warming and more frequent extreme weather events. 

We have a massive stake in the co-operative effort to keep warming well below 2°C, and we have a regional responsibility to show leadership.

In a perfect world we would not have wasted almost a decade through a period of Coalition government without a national energy policy. 

But in the past two years a substantial amount of repair work has occurred to lay the foundation for Australia to achieve its potential as a renewable energy superpower. 

That means a future made in Australia, with the clean and low-cost energy that we generate and export.

It means highly skilled and well-paid jobs. It means a cleaner environment that is healthier and safer for all life.

Since 2022, Energy Minister Chris Bowen has led the work of the Albanese Government in getting us on the path to net zero by 2050, with a 25 per cent surge in renewable energy generation.

While we look to harness the cheapest form of new energy in a system of firmed renewables, we also need to make strides when it comes to energy performance. 

Making sure that we have energy efficient households and businesses means we get more for less.

We save energy, we save money, and we reduce emissions. 

That is why the Albanese Government has created the household energy upgrades fund and the energy efficiency grants for small to medium enterprises. 

Reducing emissions to reach our strengthened 2030 targets as part of our sensibly upgraded Paris Climate commitment goes hand in hand with our energy transformation. 

Recognising that climate impacts are already occurring, we also need to adapt to those risks and vulnerabilities in a careful and co-ordinated fashion. That is why we are delivering the national climate risk assessment and national adaptation plan.

Energy performance and adaptation are two areas I will concentrate my work. 

As a West Australian, I come from a State with a distinct perspective on the challenges we face in these areas.

WA has the nation’s largest coastline and spans the greatest range in latitude, and we are not connected to the National Electricity Market. 

Right now, WA households are receiving the first instalment of what will be $700 in energy relief thanks to the combined efforts of the Albanese and Cook governments. 

Last month we announced our collaboration on the new Clean Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence to be established here in the West. 

This will mean young West Australians can be skilled up for the exciting opportunities that have already emerged and will only increase.

Responsible energy policy matters, not just for our future but today and every day. 

Our homes and businesses need reliable, affordable power, and the community knows the vital importance of a safe climate. 

Our reliable renewables plan is the only plan supported by experts to deliver the clean, cheap, reliable, and resilient energy system that Australians deserve.

Published in The West Australian