BY KAYNE STEPHENS
Federal Labor Leader Anthony Albanese says having a reliable and affordable energy supply for major industries like Tomago Aluminium is vital for their future and the jobs they support.
He toured the smelter yesterday just a week after Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon stepped down from the Shadow Ministry partly over the ALP's climate change policy.
Mr Albanese says a transition to renewable energy is needed to tackle climate change.
"The replacement of Liddell needs to be a mix of solar renewables with batteries, but also gas is necessary," he said at the Tomago Aluminium site yesterday.
"Climate change is real. We need to act and we need to be a part of global action, but we need to as well make sure that businesses like this one that are energy-intensive have access to affordable energy and reliable energy.
"We need to do that and that's why gas will play an important role."
Resources Minister Keith Pitt says new low-emissions coal technologies need to be used to meet the energy demands required of businesses like the Hunter smelter.
He's backed the continued use of coal-fired power which has been a key point of contention between Mr Albanese and Mr Fitzgibbon.
"We have a high quality product that is in demand around the world. We have any number of countries, there's more than 200 coal-fired power stations either under construction or under planning for construction right now.
"If you combine Healy coal-fired power stations with carbon-captured storage you get a 90% reduction in emissions so technology will lead the way and Australia will lead the way in that sector as well," he said.
Anthony Albanese says divisions within the ALP over energy policy won't have a major impact on the party's electoral chances in the Hunter.
The Labor Leader says his party is focused on representing the region.
"I'm very confident that we'll do well in the regions. Joel Fitzgibbon himself has said he intended to serve 18 months on the front bench and he told me and others that many, many months ago.
"There was nothing new about Joel's decision which wasn't a decision about policy, it was a decision that he made himself".
Keith Pitt says energy policy conversations, which have divided Labor, shouldn't be focused on phasing out a particular technology altogether.
"To be frank, I think it's complete nonsense. We deal with emissions, not the energy source that comes at the front end, it's about what happens out at the back end. That's why we've committed to the technology roadmap," he said.
"We have a commercial sized plant for carbon capture storage about to start construction at Millmerran in Queensland. We know that when we combine that with ultra-supercritical boilers inside coal-fired power plants you get massive reduction in emissions so we'll continue to support the technology".
Joel Fitzgibbon narrowly survived a 22% swing against Labor in the seat of Hunter at the 2019 election.
