Scott Morrison says Australia’s net zero carbon emissions by 2050 target won’t be at the expense of jobs or “big earnings” on his first ever visit to the nation’s engine room in the Pilbara.
The Prime Minister told a business breakfast event in Karratha on Friday he wanted to make sure the country met its commitments and heavy industries grew stronger.
“I want to see Australia achieve net zero and to do that as soon as we possibly can and preferably by 2050,” Mr Morrison said.
“But what I have to be able to do, and what we have to be able to do, in meeting that challenge is demonstrate how we can do that and ensure that the heavy industry, heavy industries that exist in our country are part of that solution.
Mr Morrison paid credit to the resources sector in WA, which had been behind Australia’s relatively strong economic performance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic compared to other nations.
“We have had floods, we have had fires. And very sad to hear more recently, we’ve had cyclone,” he said.
“Despite all of that, all the tempests, all the pandemics, the resources sector here in Western Australia, and particularly here in the Pilbara, has pushed on and underpinned what has been a remarkable performance by Australia more broadly.
Mr Morrison has been a vocal on a gas-powered energy transition in Australia to address climate change challenges.
The Prime Minister has copped criticism for backing the creation of hydrogen by using gas but was talking up the benefits of “green” hydrogen at mining billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue mine at Christmas Creek on Thursday.
“Here in the Pilbara, we are already seeing that leadership … and this is really important to make these commitments and make these changes in large resource heavy industry parts of our country.
“Our energy economy is changing, and we want to be part of the new energy economy and we want to translate the jobs and the economic performance of our heavy industries, particularly in resources to that new energy economy.”
Mr Forrest said his company had shown leaders of Australia the future.
“Here you have miles and miles of solar panels, which we will combine with wind, which will eventually power the entire Pilbara, and we will be building gigawattage which is equivalent to what Australia powers itself with as a nation,” he said.