Zaneta Mascarenhas MP
Federation Chamber, Parliament House, Canberra
Grievance Debate
I stand here tonight, as I do every day, as a proud Western Australian—someone who will stand up for WA. I get WA, I understand the WA regions, and I understand my electorate. I make it a point to listen to my community, and every day I work hard to create a better future for everyone in my great state. So when the Leader of the Opposition talks about WA and the big decisions we need to secure our future, I'd like to take the opportunity to respond.
You might remember what the opposition leader had to say about Labor's critical mineral investment program. It's a bit confusing because he says one thing on the east coast and another on the west coast. On the east coast he calls it 'tax cuts for billionaires', but over in WA what does he say? It's the same old line that he pulls out when he doesn't know what to say: 'We'll have more to say about this.' I see this as being a tricky opposition leader. When will he come clean?
Just a few weeks ago he was slamming Labor's plan to build a better future made in Australia, calling it 'tax cuts for billionaires'. He and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition said that they would oppose it. Are they prepared to support the resource sector—a really important one in Western Australia—or is it more of the old criticism? He doesn't get that Western Australians believe in a future made in Australia. We are the engine room for the country, we are the powerhouse and we want to build more right here in WA.
The pathway to net zero emissions runs through the plains of Western Australia. The pathway for Australia to achieve net zero emissions runs through WA not just for the country but for the world. But, unfortunately, the Leader of the Opposition doesn't understand that. He doesn't grasp how important the resource sector is to WA or that it is the backbone of livelihoods across our state—and, frankly, I don't think he wants to understand.
I was born in the goldfields—born and bred with deep roots. I was born in Kalgoorlie and grew up in a nickel mining town called Kambalda. My family made their home there, and I will always feel connected to regional WA. But I'll also say that you don't need to be from WA to understand WA. Former premier Mark McGowan was born in New South Wales—a Welshman—and he understood Western Australians. He would listen and he would act. I note that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is another New South Welshman, and, again, he is a leader who listens and acts—unlike the Leader of the Opposition, who pays lip service to the communities of WA.
Let's not kid ourselves; this isn't the first time the Leader of the Opposition has flipped on key policies when things got tough. Remember when he was against the tax cuts? He was against giving every taxpayer—that's 3.6 million Australians—a tax cut on 1 July, but now he's not opposed to it. Then there's nuclear energy. Last year he said that he was against large-scale nuclear energy. But now he is for it, even though he hasn't figured out the cost for it; he has no clue what it will cost Australians. The Liberal leader won't tell us how much it will cost to build these nuclear reactors, how much more expensive nuclear power will make our bills or how many reactors will pop up in communities across Australia. He mentioned there would be one in Collie, in the south-west of Western Australia, but did he choose to face the people of Collie on his recent visit to WA? How weak and cowardly. Is it that he couldn't be bothered, or wasn't interested, or didn't care? He won't tell Australians the true cost of his nuclear plan, so let me spell it out.
The Smart Energy Council says that building seven nuclear reactors would cost taxpayers up to $600 billion while only securing a measly 3.7 per cent of Australia's energy mix by 2050. That's $600 billion! Nuclear energy is the most expensive form of energy, meaning that Australians would pay up to eight times more for their electricity. My last bi-monthly electricity bill was $260. That's for a three-by-one on a battleaxe block. Eight times that would be $2,000. Ain't nobody got dollar bills for that! This risks the energy and economic security of the nation.
CSIRO experts have pointed out that nuclear reactors wouldn't be up and running until at least 2040. Australia simply can't wait that long. Under the LNP, 24 coal plants announced that they were shutting down, and by 2035 90 per cent of Australia's coal power will be gone. If the plan is to transition coal towns to nuclear towns, there will be at least a five-year gap. I don't know if you've lived in a town where industry gets ripped out and there are no jobs in the community. It's pretty soul destroying. It's a really tough place to live. This is not the transition to the clean energy economy that we need.
The Australian Energy Market Operator has made it clear: we need to replace the energy capacity before it disappears. The cheapest way to do that is through reliable renewables, coupled with storage and firming energy, and that is the best solution to make this happen. Pausing the delivery of reliable renewables—instead promising untested, uncosted, experimental nuclear reactors—will cost Australia. The coalition will put our future energy security in jeopardy. This is the reality. I don't want to go there, and I don't think Western Australians want to go there. Nuclear energy is too slow to keep the lights on, too expensive to build and too risky for Australia's energy needs.
The Leader of the Opposition and the coalition are hiding the details on how much in taxes this would cost and how much bills would rise for these seven risky reactors, but what we know from this nonsensical plan is that, in two decades, the coalition's policy would be the most expensive energy there is. I was honestly astounded when I heard about this policy, and initially I thought it was a joke. The scary thing is that this is not a joke. This is not an episode of Utopia; this is the opposition's policy. The thing that I'd say, from a Western Australian perspective, is that Western Australians spotted a fake leader in the previous member for Cook—no comment on the current one—and previous Prime Minister. They will identify this as fake energy policy. This is something that they will see. If the next election is a referendum on nuclear energy, we will win that. We will earn the vote and make sure that people understand what the truth is.
Let's talk about what Labor is doing on energy. One of the first things we did when we stepped into power was announce a 43 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. We have an ambitious target of 82 per cent renewable energy. From an energy bill perspective, we are also cutting people's energy bills this financial year. If you live in Western Australia, you will get $700 off your electricity bill. In your July bill you would have seen $350, and in your December-January bill you'll see another $350. It's an example of the state and federal governments working together. Our renewable energy plan is the only one that is backed by experts to deliver clean, cheap, reliable and resilient energy for Australians. Under Labor, we have seen a 25 per cent increase in renewables in the national grid; record investment in battery storage; over 50 renewable projects greenlit—enough to power three million homes; and more than 330,000 rooftop solar installations. That was in the last year alone.
Power prices are a serious issue, and Australians deserve a plan to bring them down. That's exactly what we're working on. This is in contrast to the Liberals' obsession with nuclear, which is risky and costly, and it is Australians who will end up paying for it. Their antirenewables stance ignores the fact that renewables are the cheapest form of energy and that, the more renewables we get into the system, the more prices will come down.
The Albanese government's reliable renewable energy plan is the only one that's supported by experts to deliver the clean, cheap, reliable and resilient energy systems that Australians deserve. The Albanese government is pumping big money into renewables to boost Australia's reliable energy capacity, create jobs and attract investment. This not only helps lower prices but also cuts emissions. We're working hard to create a fairer, kinder, greener and better future for Australia.
