It is time for NSW to commit to clean, community owned energy

Today in Parliament, Abigail called on the NSW Government to support Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Zone proposals and to ensure local community ownership.

Abigail said:

I give notice that on the next sitting day I will move:

(1) That this House notes that:

in August 2022, the Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy announced six proposed regions for offshore renewable energy developments (such as offshore wind) around Australia, including both the Hunter and Illawarra regions,
the Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water sought feedback from the general public on the areas proposed for future offshore renewable energy projects, particularly offshore wind;
offshore wind will be a key component of our transition away from fossil fuels, and will bring significant economic and environmental opportunities for NSW communities including clean job opportunities, generational energy security and reliability, and an investment in our local communities, and
the Australian Conservation Foundation has considered the possible environmental impacts of the Illawarra offshore wind proposal and has publicly backed the proposal.

(2) That this House:

support the Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Zone proposal,
insists that the proposal, as it progresses, continue to pass through rigorous and appropriate approvals processes, governed in particular by the EPBC Act,
commends the recent efforts of local communities in supporting clean energy, including communities across Newcastle and Wollongong who rallied on Sunday 4 February in support of offshore wind farms; and
calls on the NSW and Australian Governments to continue to work with local communities across NSW and commit to ensure strong community benefit ownership and sharing measures are rolled out as construction of offshore wind projects commence.

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

NSW is missing out on tens of billions of dollars. By introducing a progressive coal royalty structure similar to the one in Queensland, we would have raised an extra $20 billion last year.

The NSW Government owns and controls, on behalf of the people of this state, the rights to the minerals and materials that naturally occur in NSW land.

Huge fossil fuel companies are only able to extract and sell these commodities with the consent of the State. It’s time they paid a fair price for that privilege.

The fossil fuel industry has made hundreds of billions of dollars out of their cosy relationship with governments. Granted permission to extract and sell coal, these large multinational fossil fuel corporations pay just over 7% in royalties back to the people of NSW – keeping the rest as mega-profits for themselves. These companies have a track record of taking more than their fair share and leaving communities suffering and stranded with poisoned groundwater, devastated landscapes and a stranded workforce when it suits their business models.

Globally, the hyper-inflation of fossil fuel prices driven by price-gouging opportunism and war profiteering from Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has delivered record windfall profits to these already obscenely wealthy corporations. In the last year, NSW coal exports totaled over $70 billion dollars, but the people of NSW will only see about 7 cents in every dollar, or about $6 billion dollars of that amount.

Rather than going toward schools, hospitals and public infrastructure, billions of dollars went into the pockets of multinational mining corporations. The Greens believe there should be more money for schools and hospitals and less for mining billionaires.

Sign our petition calling on the NSW Labor Government to increase coal royalties to invest in communities.

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It is time for NSW to commit to clean, community owned energy

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

Sign our petition calling on the NSW Labor Government to increase coal royalties to invest in communities.

Will you sign?

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