STATE
ECONOMY — DIVERSIFICATION
669. Mr D.A.E. SCAIFE to the Minister for State Development,
Jobs and Trade:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to diversifying the Western Australian economy
and encouraging new green industries to the state.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how the government is supporting the
establishment of Woodside's hydrogen and ammonia production facility in
Kwinana?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house what this project will mean for local jobs and the
local economy?
Mr R.H.
COOK replied:
(1)–(2) I would like to thank the member for Cockburn for
the question. We thought perhaps it was important that the member for
Cockburn had an opportunity to exercise his interests in the interests of his
constituents on this matter because we suspect those on the other side will be
a bit quieter on hydrogen this week—not quite as keen to ask about it—because
it is a very important issue.
I was very pleased to be in the heart
of Western Australia—of Kwinana!—with the Premier. He wanted to
remind me that we were awfully close to Rockingham. I assured him we were still
in Kwinana—a wind-assisted spit from Cockburn, member for Cockburn, but
not quite! I was with the Premier, the Minister for Hydrogen Industry and the
Minister for Lands to announce that Western Australia will host one of the world's largest hydrogen and
ammonia production facilities. The project from Woodside, dubbed
H2Perth, includes over $1 billion in capital expenditure and is supported by
the state government through the leasing of designated project-ready industrial
land in the Kwinana and Rockingham strategic areas. H2Perth has been developed
to supply low-cost hydrogen to the domestic markets and has been planned in direct alignment with the initiatives of the
government of Western Australia, such as the state's renewable
hydrogen strategy, the complex and detailed work around turning the western
trade coast into a concerted industrial hub and WA's road map for
diversification, Diversify WA.
The project will support
approximately 2 000 jobs during construction and over 200 jobs once the project
is completed. The early stages of the project will see a retail outlet there so
that people who are starting to transition early to hydrogen-fuelled vehicles
will have the opportunity to take early advantage of this facility. This
project is one of dozens of active and renewable energy proposals here in the
state and we have committed $90 million to
the sector. We are excited to work constructively with Woodside and, indeed,
many of the other companies and proponents in Western Australia to build our
clean green energy future for WA.
As Minister for State Development,
Jobs and Trade, I am constantly meeting with members of industry who assure me
that what they are looking for is not big handouts but concerted policy
leadership and that is what they are getting from the WA state government. They
appreciate the support that they are being given. Indeed, the CEO of Woodside,
Meg O'Neill, in today's The West Australian said, and I quote
—
The State Government has already
recognised the benefits of establishing Western Australia as a global leader in
hydrogen and is working with Woodside to help make H2Perth possible.
Under
the McGowan government, we will not be simply shovelling dollars out to entice
companies to come here. We want them to understand the strategic
importance of locating their businesses, industrial hubs and headquarters in Western
Australia because Western Australia is the future of the nation's
economy, particularly when it comes to energy transition. Member for Cockburn,
there will be hundreds and thousands of jobs and constituents like yours will
benefit from the economic leadership that the McGowan government is providing.
We look forward to more projects such as H2Perth in the very near future.