Ministers statements: energy policy
Ms D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park—Minister for Energy, Minister for Environment and Climate Action, Minister for Solar Homes) (14:23): I rise to update the house on our record-busting, job-creating, nation-leading climate action agenda being delivered by the Andrews Labor government. Yesterday I was absolutely delighted to announce that we smashed our 2020 emissions target and slashed our emissions by more than any other jurisdiction in the country. Our target to halve emissions by 2030 will make sure that we keep going, with more jobs, more renewable energy and more climate action. Thanks to our policies we have delivered the largest annual increase in renewable energy of any state ever and the most rapid decarbonisation. We are the first state to unlock offshore wind. We have made Victoria the home of batteries—the Big Battery, of course, and smaller batteries in neighbourhood areas, including one that we recently opened in Fitzroy, much to the member for Richmond’s delight. We put solar in the hands of 200 000 households through our Solar Homes program, creating 5500 jobs. We have built an incredible supply chain in energy technology. Our policies have meant more work for Wilson Transformers in Glen Waverley, a business I know that the member for Glen Waverley knows very, very well. It has meant incredible training opportunities, such as the first wind tower training facility in the country, built at Federation University, something that the member for Buninyong is absolutely delighted about.
There are those who complain and say, ‘What have the Romans ever done for us?’, knowing full well that we are leading the country on climate action. Then there are those who pretend they are in search of the climate change Holy Grail, except the horse clopping is just King Arthur prancing about to the sound of coconuts being banged together by his squires. We have a lot more action to do. We have got a lot of work ahead of us. Only a Labor government understands climate change and only a Labor government will ever deliver real climate action. It is about delivering what matters, and we will do it.