Mr Scully told NSW Parliament more than 530 days had passed since the passage of the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Bill 2020, which guaranteed the increased use of local steel content in renewable energy infrastructure and investment in the development of an Illawarra hydrogen hub.
“When the bill passed, the Illawarra industry stood poised, ready to be involved. Its members saw the opportunity to be part of the evolution of energy generation, and to support and create more jobs. Yet they wait and they wait and they wait.
“Yet the New South Wales Government delays and dithers in delivering its hydrogen commitments, and the Morrison Government has not bothered to declare Port Kembla a hydrogen hub”, he said.
Mr Scully said he was very disappointed in the neglect of the NSW Treasurer, Matt Kean MP who has so far failed to deliver on any of the commitments he made during the negotiations on the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Bill 2020.
“The Treasurer can only crow about bipartisan political support for the State's zero emissions target by 2050 because Labor, in good faith, thought it had a sincere partner in those negotiations. The fact that more than 530 days later the Illawarra continues to wait suggests that there is, in fact, no sincerity in the intent of the Government to include the Illawarra in the renewable energy future of New South Wales at all”, he said.
Mr Scully said that only federal and NSW Labor have taken the renewable energy future of the Illawarra seriously.
“Labor is working at a Federal and New South Wales level with unions and businesses in the Illawarra, through groups like Recharge Illawarra and through genuine local commitments at this Federal election, to make sure the Illawarra is ready to contribute and is at the heart of producing the building blocks of the future economy”, he said.
Mr Scully also took a swipe at the Greens Party for ignoring the Illawarra in its 60-page climate change policy, which excludes the region from establishing a “local transition authority”.
“The Greens, who always talk a big game on so‑called "transition" but inexplicably leave the Illawarra out of their local transition authority list. In their Federal policy, The Greens made that promise to every coal community in the country except the Illawarra”, he told NSW Parliament.
Mr Scully said he will continue to raise the Government's neglect when it comes to delivering on its commitments to ensure local content in renewable energy infrastructure and to help build a hydrogen industry in the Illawarra.
