New hydrogen production strategy revises ‘renewable hydrogen’ target
Peter Hannam
The Albanese government has this morning released its new hydrogen production strategy, updating the 2019 version it inherited from the coalition.
And despite mining billionaire Andrew Forrest’s much-publicised pullback of ambition, climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen says the industry has a big future that Australia must be part of.
Bowen told day two of the Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Summit 2024 in Brisbane:
Let me be clear: Australia’s green hydrogen pipeline is alive and healthy.
Among the key points is setting a 2050 target for Australia to produce 15mt a year of hydrogen produced by renewable energy. That’s the “green” version, among up to a dozen varieties, and there will be a “guarantee of origin” certification scheme to prove it to export markets.
That annual aim, to be “supported” by five-year milestones, would have a “stretch” goal of 30mt/year by mid-century. Accordingly, the report says, the avoided emissions as hydrogen supplants fossil fuels would range from 93-186mt of CO2 a year by 2050.
The near-term aim is more modest, reflecting the relatively nascent nature of an industry battling to make production costs competitive. It targets 200,000t/year of exports by 2030, with a “stretch” goal of 1.2mt/year.
The report says:
Setting an early export target provides a strong signal of Australia’s intention to continue supplying energy to the global market … This matches the ambition of some of our existing trade partners who already have 2030 hydrogen targets.
Key events
Sarah Basford Canales Katy Gallagher on robodebt report
The finance and public service minister, Katy Gallagher, has said there are “many lessons” to be learned from the illegal robodebt scheme to prevent the “shameful chapter” from ever being repeated.
It comes as the findings of the Australian Public Service Commission’s robodebt taskforce were released on Friday. It found 12 current or former public servants, including ex-agency heads Kathryn Campbell and Renée Leon, had breached the code of conduct 97 times over the course of the robodebt scheme’s operations.
Gallagher said:
The robodebt scheme, run by the former Liberal government, was illegal and one of the worst failures of public administration in history.
I thank the Australian Public Service Commissioner, Dr Gordon de Brouwer, and the taskforce team for their work on the code of conduct inquiry, which was robust, independent, and fair.
Some former departmental secretaries and public servants made mistakes, showed a lack of care, diligence, integrity, and leadership and they are being held to account for the part they played in the robodebt failure.
There are many lessons to be learned, and the APS will continue to work to rebuild the trust of the Australian people to ensure this shameful chapter is never repeated.
Here’s the Australian Public Service commissioner Gordon de Brouwer saying robodebt was “a failure of government” and has apologised for the public service’s role in it.
Sarah Basford Canales The main public sector union has criticised the lack of sanctions made against former senior public servants for their role in the unlawful robodebt scheme.
The Australian Public Service Commission’s robodebt taskforce released its report on Friday finding 12 former or current public servants had breached the code of conduct on 97 occasions during their involvement in the income averaging scheme.
The report named just two – former agency heads, Kathryn Campbell and Renée Leon.
The two will face no sanctions, as they no longer work for the public service. However, they will have to declare the findings, if asked, for the next five years if they try to get work in the APS or as a contractor with any agencies.
The Community and Public Sector Union’s national secretary, Melissa Donnelly, said it was “incredibly disappointing” to see there would be few consequences for the former agency heads and senior officials who had since left the public service.
Donnelly said:
While CPSU members are relieved to see those responsible found guilty of serious code of conduct breaches, it is incredibly disappointing that there are no meaningful consequences for those at the top.
While the likes of Kathryn Campbell move on with their lives without sanction, our members continue to deal with the consequences of the scheme on those communities they serve and the loss of public trust.
Sarah Basford Canales Charles Sturt University’s chancellor, Dr Michele Allan, says the university “fully supports” its vice-chancellor, Renée Leon, who was found to have breached the public service code of conduct 13 times in a robodebt report released on Friday.
The report, released by the Australian Public Service Commission, made four findings against Leon, constituting 13 breaches, including that she failed to “expeditiously” inform her minister and colleagues of the solicitor-general’s advice on the lawfulness of the scheme and failed to cease the practice of income averaging under the scheme.
Leon responded in a statement on Linkedin saying:
I stand by the actions I took to get definitive legal advice and bring the robodebt program to an end.
In a statement released on Friday, Allan said:
Charles Sturt University is disappointed in the decision handed down by the Australian Public Service Commission and fully supports Professor Leon.
Professor Leon’s actions in helping to end the robodebt program were in keeping with the integrity she demonstrated as a dedicated public servant for 30 years, and which she has carried forward into her present role to the benefit of our students, staff and communities.
We fully support her courageous and ultimately successful efforts to help end the robodebt program, her transparent testimony at the subsequent royal commission, and her full and truthful account of her actions.
Paul Karp The Liberal federal executive has voted today to appoint three people to managed the troubled NSW division, rejecting a plan by opposition leader Mark Speakman to include two women in a four-person panel of administrators.
In a statement, the party said:
The Federal Executive of the Liberal Party has today appointed a committee to manage the NSW Division of the Liberal Party until 30 June 2025. The committee comprises the Hon Alan Stockdale AO, the Hon Richard Alston AO, and Dr Peta Seaton AM. The committee will act swiftly to ensure the NSW Liberal Party is in the best possible position to fight the federal election.
The decision rejects Speakman and the NSW state executive’s call for a four-person panel, to include both Seaton and federal vice president and former MP Fiona Scott.
Daniel Hurst Richard Marles may have been trying to close the door on what he told parliament were “arguably the most serious allegations of Australian war crimes in our history”.
But by deciding to strip medals from some commanders and not others as part of an effort to show “Australia is a country which holds itself accountable”, the defence minister has reopened old wounds.
The question is: how much responsibility should the top brass and political masters bear for the alleged murders and mistreatment of Afghan civilians and prisoners of war?
Sarah Basford Canales The former human services department head, Renée Leon, says she is “disappointed” by the Australian Public Service Commission’s report on the robodebt scheme, which publicly named her on Friday.
In the royal commissioner’s report last July, Leon, who was secretary from 2017 to 2020, was criticised for telling the ombudsman that the lawfulness of the scheme was “not uncertain”, which the commission said “had no proper basis”.
Leon explained she did so because this was a description of the DHS’s position at the time but the commissioner said she “did not delve into the grounds for the purported DHS position” and if she had the claim “could not be sustained”.
The royal commission report also credited Leon for being “the first to take steps” to end the robodebt scheme in 2019 but said said Leon “did not delve into the grounds for the purported DHS position” and if she had, the claim “could not be sustained”.
In a statement made on LinkedIn on Friday, Leon said “robodebt was a failed policy, developed without a proper legal basis, that caused enormous pain for some of Australia’s most vulnerable people”, adding she regretted the “significant human toll of the program” and remained “proud” of her role in ending it.
The former senior bureaucrat, now vice-chancellor of Charles Sturt University, said she was “disappointed” with how the APSC had come to its decision.
Leon’s statement continued:
I stand by the actions I took to get definitive legal advice and bring the robodebt program to an end.
Robodebt had already been in operation for two years when I became secretary of human services. When legal doubts were raised, I sought definitive advice from the Solicitor-General.
I acted as expeditiously as possible to convince a government that was wedded to the robodebt scheme that it had to be ceased. When ministers delayed, I directed it be stopped. Two weeks later, my role as secretary was terminated by a government that did not welcome frank and fearless advice.
I acted with integrity and in accordance with the standards of the public service I served for 30 years. I testified before the robodebt royal commission, which found that I acted in good faith, and which did not refer me to the APSC or the National Anti-Corruption Commission or any other investigative process.
I remain a strong believer in the importance of public service. Senior public servants play a vital role in improving and protecting the lives of Australians through sound policy development, efficient service delivery, and upholding the integrity and accountability of government operations. People who have blatantly done the wrong thing should be held to account.
However, I believe the steps I took, under significant pressure, were consistent with the principles of public service to which I have unstintingly devoted my professional life.
The Greens’ spokesperson for older people, Senator Penny Allman-Payne, has responded to Labor’s announcement on the aged care deal yesterday, saying older people must be given the chance to properly scrutinise the legislation.
Allman-Payne said on Friday morning:
The voices we need to be hearing from right now aren’t the for-profit aged care providers, it’s the older Australians who will be most impacted by this legislation.
Older people deserve the highest quality care and support, and even though we are still working our way through the legislation I’m concerned that opening the door to an expanded user-pays model prioritises the profits of providers over enforceable standards of care.
Budget repair or provider profits was never the “key driver” for reform of the sector, she said, but rather “the urgent need to improve care, quality and enforcement in the sector after the shocking revelations of the Royal Commission”.
She continued:
We have seen appalling behaviour from industry consultants, lobbyists and aged care providers trying to game the system for financial gain. Older people must have certainty that they will no longer suffer exploitation and abuse at the hands of these predatory operators.
The Greens would push for older Australians to contribute to the Senate inquiry into the legislation, Allman-Payne said.
Caitlin Cassidy Plan to cap international students threatens aviation training, says independent tertiary peak body
The peak body representing the independent tertiary sector has written to the minister for infrastructure and transport cautioning the proposed international student cap threatens the viability of aviation schools and pilot training.
The Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (Iteca) chief executive, Troy Williams, wrote to Catherine King on Friday, flagging members had expressed “deep concern” that pilot training levels would reduce to “unsustainable levels” due to the sector’s reliance on international student enrolments to maintain viability.
Williams said:
The introduction of international student caps in 2025 … will significantly reduce the capacity of these flight schools to train international students …
This reduction in the capacity of Australia’s aviation schools to support high-quality aviation training for international students presents a severe risk to the future of aviation training in Australia, with many of our members expressing deep concern that the Australian government’s approach will see pilot training levels reduced to unsustainable levels.
Flight schools within Iteca’s membership have indicated that without steady and sustainable enrolment levels of overseas students, a significant number will be unable to survive the financial pressures.
A parliamentary inquiry into the federal government’s overseas students bill yesterday announced it would reopen submissions and extend its reporting date to 8 October due to the Coalition and the Greens pushing for greater scrutiny on the cap’s implications.
Peter Hannam More on the hydrogen plan
The 2019 hydrogen plan did not contain any goals for Australian production but did estimate it could create 7,600-17,000 jobs by 2050 in an industry worth $11-26bn in GDP.
The 2024 version only states the potential for “tens of thousands of jobs” by 2040 in the export sector alone.
The earlier version cited estimates that the additional global demand for hydrogen could be 20-230mt by 2050 – quite a wide range.
The 2024 report cites the International Energy Agency’s demand spread of 250mt or as much as 420mt if net zero emissions pathways are pursued. The latter is about four times the current demand.
Bowen said the strategy clarified “the importance of ongoing leadership and collaboration between all levels of government to shepherd large-scale projects from development to operation”.
He listed federal government support, including $8bn in long-term production subsidies over the coming decade to ensure the sector could scale up to the competitive levels required to displace fossil fuels in industry and energy use.
The report also lists various state endeavours. Notably absent is the controversial Victorian plan to produce hydrogen from the state’s abundant (but emissions-heavy) brown coal.
The $500m-plus project has appeared to be dead in the water, so to speak, without additional federal and Victorian funding – and the updated strategy seems to have confirmed this.
