The Victorian Coalition’s decision to, if elected, move further to the left of federal Labor on emissions reductions by 2030 is a reckless and desperate policy.
I don’t support this policy of legislating an emissions reductions cut of 50 per cent by 2030, which will result in the closure of more coal-fired power stations, because it will only make the cost of living crisis worse by increasing already skyrocketing household power bills.
This policy won’t just negatively affect Victoria’s energy security and power prices, but the baseload energy capacity of the National Energy Market, so I oppose this policy because it is also contrary to Australia’s national interest, and it does not address what will keep the lights on from the late 2020s.
I’m disgusted by this ludicrous and cowardly policy because it has not been developed to reduce the world’s temperature, as our small state of Victoria can’t impact any global issue. Rather, this policy is purely to appease a “teal” assault at the upcoming state election on a small number of our inner urban seats, despite so many of my colleagues knowing this policy is wrong, for both working families in the suburbs, and our national interest.
This Coalition policy is more extreme than the Andrews Labor government’s because even they’re not so foolish to legislate a 2030 target.
This announcement is reflective of a decade of energy policy madness from Victorian governments, Labor and Liberal alike.
The previous Liberal government led by premiers Baillieu and Napthine imposed a moratorium on all onshore gas exploration and development in Victoria, “derailing extensive programs already under way by companies including Exxon and others.” That was followed by a permanent ban on unconventional gas in 2017 by the Andrews government.
Then in a bizarre legislative amendment to Victoria’s constitution, Labor banned unconventional gas exploration forever, which the Liberals shamefully voted for. The moratorium on onshore conventional gas was lifted in July 2021.
Consequently, Victoria is running out of gas.
Household energy prices are soaring because we are running out of baseload power at periods of peak demand. Even federal Labor’s Resources Minister Madeleine King said, “... that Victoria’s ban on fracking and coal seam gas extraction represented a significant barrier to solving the energy crisis.”
As federal Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton, said in June, “I would love to tell you that there is a battery that can replace a coalmine tomorrow or that we can bring on hydro that can support the rest of the country, but the technology is just not there.”
Between 60 per cent to 70 per cent of Victoria’s energy is generated by coal, as is the nation’s. Federal Labor’s irresponsible plan is to legislate emission reductions of 43 per cent by 2030.
Equally, the delusional “teals” advocated for 60 per cent emission reductions by 2030, so to appease inner urban elites, the federal Liberals jumped on the hook and went for net zero by 2050.
On radio this week, State Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said that he wasn’t interested in fighting over energy policy anymore. He has decided, like Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the energy debate is over.
I am here to tell them both, this debate is not over.
There are those of us in the Liberal Party who are still patriots and are far more interested in fighting for the national interest – energy security and cheap, reliable power – rather than short term political expediency.
I just wonder whether those federal MPs, who recently lost their seats in inner urban electorates, while clinging to the false hope of net zero by 2050, might reflect that the Liberal Party will only be successful again when we show some ticker and unflinchingly advocate in the long-term national interest of our country.
The Western Australian Liberals tried this trick before their last state election.
Former WA Liberal leader Zak Kirkup announced all publicly owned and operated coal fired power stations would close by 2025, with a 100 per cent renewable energy target by 2030. Now the number of Liberal MPs in the WA Lower House of parliament can fit on a tandem bicycle.
Victoria has already lost 25 per cent of its previous baseload generation capacity with the closure of Hazelwood in 2017, after Daniel Andrews tripled the royalties payable on brown coal.
The Liberals should pledge to invest in Yallourn so it’s operational life can be extended beyond 2028, and well into the 2030s, as was originally planned, and safeguard the operational capacity well into the late 2040s of Loy Yang B and Loy Yang A because of the public interest in guaranteeing the reliability of supply. Better yet, incentivise the construction of a new high efficiency low emissions coal fired power station.
A new gas-fired power station should also be built in Victoria that could be utilised at periods of peak demand if Victoria’s gas reserves can be unlocked in perpetuity.
Political courage, whether it be for new gas or coal-fired power stations or hopefully one day, nuclear, is needed from the Liberals to provide genuine affordable and reliable energy solutions for all Victorians in the decades ahead.