Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has revealed plans to build a major offshore wind industry.
Mr Andrews said 20 per cent, or two gigawatts, of the state’s power would be supplied by offshore wind by 2032, followed by 4GW by 2035 and 9GW by 2040.
“Australia lags the developed world when it comes to renewable energy generation,” he told an event hosted by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia.
“We are a first-world country with second-rate renewable energy ambitions — around 60 per cent of our national energy mix is still fossil fuels.”
Mr Andrews said national emissions targets were “embarrassingly eclipsed” by those set by states and territories.
“What’s clear is that the transition to cheap renewable energy will only get done if it’s led by states and territories,” he said.
The Premier announced the establishment of a “new and more ambitious renewable energy goal” for the future.
“For the first time anywhere in Australia, we will set a minimum target for offshore wind power generation,” he said.
Mr Andrews said the targets would be met and exceeded.
Also during his CEDA address — his first since 2019 — Mr Andrews was critical of the federal government, saying states were leading the way with “wholesale reform”.
“The problem at the moment is that there is no national reform agenda coming out of the national government,” he said.
“That is very real. It’s disappointing but you cannot have a debate and a discussion about the future without acknowledging that point.”
Mr Andrews further spoke about mental health nationally, noting that in 2020 the Productivity Commission’s mental health inquiry found the cost of mental illness and suicide was between $40bn and $70bn per year.
“It’s not about whether we can afford to fix it, it’xjmtzyws whether we can afford not to,” he said.
“That’s the key — we can’t. We need to do more and we need to do better.”
