National agreement to fast-track energy emissions reductions
Queensland has scored a major win for climate action with a national agreement to enshrine emissions reduction objectives into laws governing Australia’s energy market.
Energy Minister Mick de Brenni described an agreement from all States and Territories and the Commonwealth to accelerate drafting of the law changes as a ‘watershed moment’ in national energy policy.
“The energy sector is Queensland’s largest carbon emitter and has a significant role to play in accelerating our path towards net zero emissions,” Mr de Brenni said.
“The Queensland Government has been working hard with the ACT Government to present this proposal to national energy ministers and we will continue to cooperate with all jurisdictions to deliver this historic reform.
“At the same time, we are continuing to keep downward pressure on power prices and driving the transition to renewable generation and storage.”
Outback Queensland is the backbone of Australia’s energy
Leader of The Nationals and Member for Maranoa David Littleproud has applauded Senex Energy’s decision to invest $1 billion into its Atlas Roma North natural gas developments in the Surat Basin and raise its natural gas production.
Mr Littleproud said the decision by one of the industry leaders in natural gas to invest more in the Maranoa region highlights the crucial role outback Queensland plays in powering Australia and making energy more affordable across the nation.
“Raising natural gas production in our region will create jobs, boost the local economy and power many homes across Australia,” Mr Littleproud said.
“We need more organisations to follow Senex’s lead and either increase their production here or bring their services to Maranoa in order to keep our economy growing and the pressure on rising energy costs.”
Senex Energy will increase its natural gas production to 60 petajoules per year which is the equivalent to the electricity used by nearly 3 million homes annually and the investment is estimated to create over 200 jobs.
Mr Littleproud said he hopes more organisations will see the abundance of resources and potential the Maranoa region holds and invest in Outback Queensland.
Frontline police to get latest protective vests
Queensland Police will soon be among the best-protected frontline officers in the world, with new state-of-the-art vests to be rolled out across the state.
In good news for our frontline officers, the Queensland Police Service (QPS) has signed a contract to ensure the next generation of vests are online as soon as possible to enhance officer safety.
Police Minister Mark Ryan said the new integrated load-bearing vests (ILBV) would see police better protected, with the combined ballistic and edged weapon safety features part of police officer’s operational uniform for the first time in Queensland’s 168-year policing history.
“Our officers put their lives on the line whenever they respond to highly volatile and dangerous situations, and they should be protected with the latest technology in officer safety equipment,” Minister Ryan said.
“The ILBV will not only allow officers to safely carry their firearm, taser, baton, handcuffs, radio and body-worn camera while performing their duties but most importantly – provide added protection against offenders who may be armed with knives or firearms.”
