TRANSCRIPT
More women have been sworn in as ministers to take over the portfolios of retiring former Labor leader Bill Shorten.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced $2 billion dollars for a new Green Aluminium Production Credit.
It's the latest in the government's plans for a Future Made in Australia policy which seeks to turn Australia into a renewable powerhouse.
"This is what a future made in Australia looks like. Us taking the products that have come out of the ground in WIPA at the bauxite mine, making sure that work occurs at Gladstone and then the final product comes out here at Tomago."
The announcement took place at the single largest energy user in New South Wales - an aluminium smelter in Hunter Valley's Tomago.
"We need to be more than a quarry. We need to be a country that value-adds ourselves. Not that exports of raw material, waits for someone else to create jobs and value-add, and then imports the product back."
The $2 billion dollars government allocation will be for industry production credits, for every tonne of aluminium made with renewable energy.
Aluminium is one of the most polluting nonferrous metals to make, as its current production is mostly powered by coal.
Green aluminium usually refers to metal produced using solar, wind or hydro-power.
Australia is the sixth largest aluminium producer in the world. Its four aluminium smelters are run by Rio Tinto and Alcoa.
The Green Aluminium Production Credit is set to provide targeted support to the country's aluminium smelters to make the switch to renewable electricity before 2036.
Kellie Parker from global mining group Rio Tinto reflects on the long road it's taken to get to this announcement.
"We're incredibly pleased with the announcement, this is a belief in manufacturing, it's a belief in jobs and it's a belief in aluminium industry."
A surge in electric vehicle sales has driven a 6 percent rise in global aluminium demand.
The government's resources and energy quarterly report quoted data from September 2024 pointing to a surge in electric vehicle sales in Asia, Europe and the U-S, where the production credit schemes are in place.
Marghanita Johnson is the CEO at Australian Aluminium Council.
"Globally competitive energy is the critical foundation that will enable Australian business, not just aluminium but Australian business everywhere to compete. The natural advantages that we have in Australia are renewable reserves, renewable energy resources and our highly skilled workforce, but that can only give us a competitive edge. When all of that comes together and that needs to be supported by the right type of policy frameworks over the right time frames."
Opposition leader Peter Dutton however, has his reservations on Labor's announcement.
"I can't find anywhere in the world an aluminium smelter, a high energy use aluminium smelter, that is only run on wind and solar and batteries.”
He argues that the Prime Minister is pulling a cruel hoax , and needs to be called out.
"For the Prime Minister's policy to work - let's just understand the practicalities of this. He would have to install 22, 000 solar panels every single day, he would need 40 wind turbines each month and require 28, 000 kilometers of poles and wires to deliver this policy. It's a $2 billion con job and it's going to drive up power prices and it's going to deliver blackouts and burnouts."
Mr Dutton blames the inflation rate rises in the country on decisions made by the government.
"And over the course of the last two and a half years we've seen a three-fold increase, in the number of manufacturing business who have left Australia to go and build in Minnesota or go and build in Miami or go and build in Tennessee or Malaysia or wherever it might be. We lose the jobs. We lose the economic productivity and they import the aluminium at a higher price so its inflationary and that's why under this government inflation is staying longer than ever."
Ms Johnson says the new aluminium production credits should provide some of the transitional support that the industry needs.
She believes the interim support is needed till the country's energy infrastructure and systems develop, as well as when energy pricings return to competitive levels.
Emma Aisbett is a climate and energy expert.
"Really, the sort of advantage for the clean industries is going to come over time as internationally, essentially carbon prices emerge in international markets."
Ahead of the country's national elections, the government is targeting 82% of power supply to come from renewables by 2030.
At 40 per cent, Australia remains well short of the target, even after pledging to underwrite new wind, solar and battery projects with more than $40 billion dollars.
Meanwhile more women will join Anthony Albanese's cabinet as part of a pre-election reshuffle, after being sworn in by Governor-General Sam Mostyn [[moss-tin]] earlier today.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth adds the NDIS to her portfolio, replacing Bill Shorten; while Finance Minister Katy Gallagher takes over as government services minister.
Early Childhood Education Minister Anne Aly becomes junior minister for the NDIS, and Aged Care Minister Anika Wells is to be promoted to cabinet.
Women now make up nearly half of the senior positions in the Federal Government.
