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Net Zero Emissions Targets

Published on: November 2025

Record: HANSARD-1323879322-159935

Net Zero Emissions Targets

Ms JO HAYLEN (Summer Hill) (17:01:28):

I move:

That this House:

(1)Supports the New South Wales legislated net zero emissions reduction target by 2050.

(2)Opposes calls to slow down renewable energy projects.

(3)Rejects calls for a moratorium on renewable energy projects.

Let us talk about net zero. It is a simple concept. It means that the greenhouse gases we put into the atmosphere are balanced by the amount we take out. It is about cutting emissions as much as possible and offsetting what remains so that we stop adding to the problem of climate change. Members on this side of the House believe in climate science. We believe climate change is real and that it is fuelled by man-made emissions. Most importantly, it has serious consequences for our future if we do not act swiftly. Once‑in‑a‑generation, one‑in‑100‑year events are occurring regularly in our State and across the world. We are seeing such events at an alarming frequency.

Every fire, flood and heatwave reminds us of the cost of inaction. They remind us of the cost of slowing down or stopping investment in renewable energy. To deny the need for governments to reduce emissions and invest in renewable technology is to abandon communities like the flood-prone Northern Rivers, the bushfire‑prone Blue Mountains and, quite simply, everyone who wants to live in a safe, liveable and sustainable city, State, country and world. We must make sure that is available for generations to come. That is why the Government acted swiftly upon coming to government. We legislated a target reduction of 50 per cent of 2005 emissions by 2030 and a 70 per cent reduction by June 2035, culminating in a target of net zero emissions by June 2050. I reiterate that it is not just about legislating those targets; we are backing them with serious investment.

We are not just talking about clean energy; we are building it. Our emissions reduction targets are backed by massive investment. In this year's budget alone, there is $3.5 billion for climate and renewable initiatives. There is $3.1 billion to deliver renewable energy zones, alongside $1 billion to establish the Energy Security Corporation. Those two projects together are critical to unlocking billions of dollars of private capital investment. I assumed those opposite would have thought strongly of and supported those projects, but I will get to that later. That is alongside our Transmission Acceleration Facility. The Government is committing an additional $2.1 billion to fast-track the infrastructure that connects renewable energy projects, including the new wind and solar projects, to the grid. That is all about a sustainable, reliable service for people across our State. It is important to remember that plan was devised by those opposite when they were in government. We are now putting it into action.

It is important to understand the scale of what we are contemplating. Why do we need to make huge investments? Why do we need to commit billions of dollars? The journey we are on is about replacing 8.4 gigawatts of coal-fired power across our State by 2040. There are 2.9 gigawatts at Eraring, which is due to close by 2027. There are 2.7 gigawatts at Bayswater, which is due to close in 2033. There are 1.4 gigawatts at Vales Point, which is also due to close in 2033. There are 1.4 gigawatts at Mount Piper, which is due to close in 2040. We need to roll out at least 12 gigawatts of renewable energy generation by 2030. That is what our infrastructure road map is all about. Alongside that, we need a combined contribution of 15 gigawatts of gas generation. The Government is also focused on that, because it knows that 5 per cent to 8 per cent of our energy will continue to come from gas.

Imagine if we decide not to replace those coal-fired power plants but to turbocharge them instead. Perhaps we are going to keep them running or perhaps we are going to replace them. What would that cost? What is the alternative? The CSIRO has told us that it would cost around $50 billion for the equivalent of our four remaining coal-fired power stations. That is what we are tackling. So far, we have done incredibly well. Seven years ago, 82 per cent of our electricity generation came from five coal-fired power stations. Now we are at around 36 per cent from renewable energy. That is good progress, but we have a long way to go.

In my remaining time, I contemplate what those opposite are proposing in terms of policy going forward. Their counterparts in Canberra have clearly decided that they are not for net zero. In fact, we do not really know what they are for. They like Paris but they do not like the targets. They are a bit confused here too. There is a new Leader of The Nationals. He has taken a position that says they are with their Federal counterparts, but they somehow need to come to an arrangement with their State colleagues as well. It is going to be an interesting time in New South Wales. The problem is real, but those opposite have no idea what they are doing.

Mr JAMES GRIFFIN (Manly) (17:08:35):

I speak on behalf of the Opposition in the public interest debate. It is refreshing to hear from the member for Summer Hill again. I welcome her bringing the motion to the House. I also acknowledge the presence in the gallery of members of the Rotary Club of Ku-ring-gai. They are guests of the good member for Davidson. I welcome them to the Parliament of New South Wales. It is good timing. They are here to listen to a public interest debate about the energy rollout, the role of net zero and all things energy in New South Wales. Nothing illustrates the problem facing the New South Wales Labor Government and its energy rollout more than this public interest debate. The Government is deflecting and hoping that no-one—like the good people in the gallery—will realise how bad things are going.

To really appreciate that, I take the House on a trip down memory lane. In May 2024 one of the Government's first acts was to claim a climate emergency. At the time, a news headline read, "NSW Labor agreement with Origin to keep Eraring plant open for two more years to 2027 leaves environmental groups 'deeply disappointed'". The Government explained that it needed to keep Eraring open in order to have an orderly energy transition. Let us take a look at how things have gone since then. Energy prices are up, and the rollout is a debacle. We have heard commentary about the importance of net zero targets. Yes, those targets are important, and we are committed to them. Whether the State's target is 2030, 2035 or 2050, the Government is off track.

The Government might say that that target is important, but it has no way of meeting it under the current trajectory. Environmental groups are furious, industry is unhappy and consumers, like those in the gallery, are paying more. Yet Labor members still point the finger at us. Somehow, this is all our fault. Let us hear from those who know what is going on with the energy rollout. Eraring Power Station is scheduled to retire in August 2027. Transgrid, which does the transmission, said:

… Transgrid expects the balance between energy supply and demand on the NSW power system will become tight … for NSW to meet the reliability standard, an ambitious combination of multiple projects and market developments must progress as planned. This means:

Existing, committed and anticipated generation projects must be delivered according to their announced timeframes—

that is not happening—

Firming and renewable energy developments that are receiving state or federal government funding and other support must proceed as planned—

that is not happening either—

Actionable transmission investments must proceed as planned—

they are not—

Growth in coordinated consumer energy resources and flexible demand must increase at pace.

This leaves little flexibility.

Unfortunately, reports this week say that that is not happening either. Transgrid goes on to say:

If some of these projects do not progress and others encounter commissioning delays as has occurred previously, NSW may experience reliability gaps.

NSW transmission planning review: Final Report

That is code for blackouts, and that is what we are experiencing under this Labor Government, which has well and truly botched the rollout. I turn to the , quietly released by the Government in September. It raises serious concerns. It states:

Multiple bodies share responsibility for planning and approving transmission projects with risks of unclear accountabilities, inefficient outcomes and delays

…

Key bodies lack clear guidance on roles and responsibilities

…

Planning for system strength services is complex with a lack of clarity of responsibilities within contestable REZs and coordination challenges outside of REZs

…

There is insufficient clarity on how the NSW and national transmission planning regimes work together to deliver optimal outcomes for consumers

Thankfully, the House will be delighted to know that the Government has accepted in principle most of those recommendations on behalf of the independent review, but it has not said how quickly it will administer them. The public interest debate demonstrates the problem at hand. This Government is all politics and no action. It is all blame and no honesty with the public about how it is getting prices and emissions down or solving the massive problems with the energy rollout. Therefore, the motion needs amending to reflect reality. Accordingly, I move:

That motion be amended by omitting all words after "House" and inserting instead:

(1)Notes that Labor is not on track to hit its 2030 or 2035 emissions reduction targets.

(2)Notes that the New South Wales Labor Government has botched the rollout of the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, including:

(a)a failure to consult adequately; and

(b)only completing two REZ—

Time expired

[.]

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery):

Members will come to order.

Mr Tim Crakanthorp:

Total disarray.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery):

The member for Newcastle will come to order.

Mr Nathan Hagarty:

What a rabble.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery):

The member for Leppington will come to order. The member for Newcastle has the call.

Mr TIM CRAKANTHORP (Newcastle) (17:14:27):

I thank the member for Summer Hill for bringing this important motion to the House. It is a timely reminder to the Coalition of a bipartisan energy plan that it signed off on and supported. We would not know it, because the Coalition is sticking its head in the sand on an issue that it has long supported. The Coalition cannot make decisions. It cannot decide who will lead. It cannot decide what policy to stand for. The Nationals have been spruiking mistruths out in the regions. It has a total lack of leadership. Look where that part has ended up—in total disarray. We on this side of the House know what the future is, and we know what that means. Take Newcastle, for example, which has a long history in the energy industry. The Port of Newcastle is the largest coal port in the world.

Mr Nathan Hagarty:

Point of order: Stop the clock.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery):

Order! That is my decision, not yours. The Clerk will stop the clock. The member for Leppington will ask politely.

Mr Nathan Hagarty:

I seek clarification as to whether the member for Manly moved his amendment. The member's time expired before he finished moving the amendment.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery):

The Clerk has advised that another Opposition member may wish to move the amendment when they make their contribution.

Mr TIM CRAKANTHORP:

Newcastle will not be left behind in the transition to renewable energy. Instead, with the support of the Minns Labor Government, we are leading the charge. We are training up the renewable energy workforce at the Net Zero Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at Tighes Hill TAFE, made possible with a $60 million joint investment from the New South Wales and Federal Labor governments. That is a great example of what can be achieved when we share a vision and agree with our Federal counterparts. Members opposite might want to listen to that. I hope the member for Manly is listening. The Net Zero Manufacturing Centre of Excellence is offering courses for existing workers to retrain and transition beyond coal, as well as a Diploma of Renewable, Sustainable and Circular Manufacturing Management for students new to the industry. I add that many of those courses are fee-free thanks to the State and Federal governments.

Much of the renewable energy infrastructure for the renewable energy zones [REZs] is being imported through the Port of Newcastle. We have committed $115 million for the Newcastle Logistics Precinct, which will act as a portside storage hub to support the rollout of renewable energy infrastructure to the renewable energy zones across the State. It will be a great facility, built on the old BHP land where we used to knock out steel. We are moving into the future, from old to new. We are also investing in crucial upgrades to our road network to transport that oversized infrastructure through the port to renewable energy zones. Almost $10 million has gone into key intersections in my electorate to better support my community.

Newcastle is not only the gateway for clean energy, leading it to other parts of the State, but also the home to clean energy infrastructure, with the Hunter Valley Hydrogen Hub on Kooragang Island and the Clean Energy Precinct within the Port of Newcastle. Unlike The Nationals, we say, "Yes in my backyard"—bring clean energy to Newcastle. Hunter Valley Hydrogen Hub will be one of the first large-scale hydrogen projects in Australia, delivering a safe and reliable green hydrogen supply. It is another example of the great things we can do when State and Federal counterparts work well and are all in agreement—unlike the State and Federal counterparts of the Liberal Party and The Nationals.

The project has investments of $45 million from us and $70 million from the Feds. The only thing the New South Wales Coalition is delivering when it comes to net zero is chaos. If we were going on the way they are, we would have blackouts, price spikes and stalled investment. The NSW Liberals have signed off on net zero by 2050, but that puts them at odds with the Feds. There are contradictions. The Nationals cannot tell you which projects they would cancel, how much they would cost or how they would put downward pressure on prices, because they simply do not know and do not care.

It is not about policy for them; it is about politics. But politics does not change the physics. In case those opposite have not noticed, we will need energy to keep the lights on when the coal-fired power stations retire. The Nationals' chaos is a recipe for blackouts and price spikes. It will halt investment in New South Wales. The Nationals have no plans to replace power stations that are reaching the end of their lives in the next 15 years. They just have a "do nothing" slogan with no solutions. We are implementing a bipartisan energy plan that the Liberal Party and The Nationals started but never delivered. You never want them in government because they will never deliver it and the lights will go out.

Ms FELICITY WILSON (North Shore) (17:21:04):

I thank the member for Summer Hill for moving the public interest debate motion. It is a little bit of deja vu. Actually, it is a bit more like groundhog day. I think back to that final sitting day of Parliament in 2020—some of us were here; some of us remember it—when we passed the landmark legislation that enabled the 20-year plan for the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, to meet the 2050 commitment for net zero for New South Wales. Did Labor legislate that plan? No, it was the New South Wales Liberals and Nationals. While we recognise that Labor voted for that legislation at the last minute, today it is trashing and trouncing that policy and the series of activities needed to get us to net zero by 2020.

While I laud the attempts by the member for Summer Hill to ensure that we are focused on that commitment, at the end of the day the Labor Government is failing to reach the target of net zero by 2050. Labor has botched the rollout of the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap and is letting down people in communities across the State, particularly those in regional communities that are impacted most significantly by the botched rollout. Labor continues to recycle this issue over and over in this House, rather than actually doing anything about achieving the outcomes that the State needs. The last public interest debate motion that the Government moved was on net zero as well. All Labor members do in this House is talk about net zero. The people of New South Wales did not elect a government to talk; they elected a government to do. A government needs to demonstrate leadership.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery):

The Clerk will stop the clock. The member for Newcastle will cease interjecting or he will be put on a call to order.

Ms FELICITY WILSON:

The bipartisanship in 2020 that led to the legislation for the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap occurred because of leadership that brought people together. What we see with the Government today is an abject failure of leadership. If Labor wants to get the people of New South Wales behind it, and if it wants to get communities to accept and invest in the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, it needs to work with them and not against them. It is not enough for Labor members to attack, carp at and criticise community members disproportionately harmed by their botched work on the rollout of the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, and to constantly complain about the road map and its rollout. They need to focus on their leadership in bringing people on board. The entire concept of a social licence is so many hundreds of years old, it should not require us to explain it to the Labor members in this place. Unfortunately, they fail on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. This legislation was passed five years ago this week, and the Labor Government is still failing. Genuine bipartisanship can be achieved, but not if the Government keeps carping on and does not start acting. That is why I move:

That all words after "House" be omitted and inserting instead:

(1)Notes that Labor are not on track to hit their 2030 or 2035 emissions reduction targets.

(2)Notes that the New South Wales Labor Government has botched the rollout of the New South Wales electricity road map, including:

(a)a failure to consult adequately; and

(b)only completing two REZ projects, both of which were approved by the former Coalition Government.

The amendment encapsulates the real issue facing the people of New South Wales. Rather than rehashing a debate over whether we are committed to net zero—a commitment that occurred in 2020 and is supported by the legislation that passed this Parliament subsequently, with the support of both sides of the House—the Labor Government needs to get on board with addressing the concerns of regional communities across New South Wales. Although renewable energy zone projects are progressing in certain communities, there are disproportionate impacts in communities where REZs do not exist.

For instance, look at the Yass Valley—the blackouts that occur and the impacts upon individuals' lives. Instead of constantly talking about whether net zero is a commitment of the Government, the Opposition, the Liberals or The Nationals, how about those opposite get on with the job of actually delivering it. A lot of work can be done to make people's lives better. This House has made a nonpartisan commitment to agree to a lot of things. We have agreed to reforms around action on climate change, action on electricity and even recycling. But the lowest form of recycling is trotting out the member for Summer Hill and the member for Newcastle—two recycled Ministers—to try once again to sell us a recycled narrative about a policy that we had in the bag years ago and that the Government is now failing to achieve.

Dr HUGH McDERMOTT (Prospect) (17:26:11):

It is a pleasure to contribute to debate on this motion. I thank the member for Summer Hill for moving it. I also welcome the members of the Rotary club to the gallery. It is great to see them. I am disappointed, though—the new Leader of the National Party was in the Chamber a moment ago—

Mr Adam Crouch:

He is in the Chamber.

Dr HUGH McDERMOTT:

He is back. I am so pleased he is back because I was concerned. I was hoping he would talk today.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery):

The Clerk will stop the clock. The member for Terrigal was very noisy when he walked into the Chamber earlier. I do not want to hear another word from him.

Dr HUGH McDERMOTT:Titanic

He was very distracting. It is just chaos—as we saw from the shadow environment Minister, who could not even get his amendment sorted out, let alone his policies regarding net zero. It is great to see that the Leader of The Nationals—the new captain of the , as we call the National Party in Parliament—is in the Chamber. I was hoping he would speak today because I want to see what the new position of The Nationals is. We understand they do not believe in net zero at a Federal level anymore. I want to see if he actually believes in climate change and whether his party will follow its Federal counterpart, but we will see.

It is quite amazing because it is not often—well, it is actually quite often—that we see Opposition members doing things that make us shake our heads at and think, "They can't be serious, can they?" But they are serious, time and again. This time, not only are they not listening to the science about what is happening and what is needed to reach net zero, but they are also not even listening to their own electorates, which want this. There is a reason The Nationals got 4 per cent of the vote in the last Federal election. You can see why the National Party, amongst others, is dying in the bush and being replaced by the Shooters and other Independents. It is because its members do not believe what everybody else believes, and one of those things is that we must get to net zero. The member for North Shore talked about the great policy that Coalition members took to the election in 2020. Yes, they did. It was great—thank goodness. What have they done since? They have done nothing about it. It is up to us.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery):

The Clerk will stop the clock. The member for North Shore and the member for Upper Hunter will cease interjecting or they will be put on a call to order.

Dr HUGH McDERMOTT:

They brought in this policy and they sat on it and did nothing. The former environment Minister, Matt Kean, knew what he wanted. He finally got it through his party room but, of course, then there were crickets and his Coalition colleagues would not do anything.

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