Summary

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The majority voted in favour of a motion to read the bill for a second time. In other words, they voted to agree with the main idea of the bill.

What is the bill's main idea?

According to the bills digest:

The [Net Zero Economy Authority Bill 2024 (NZEA Bill)] will establish the Net Zero Economy Authority (NZEA), which will provide advice, education, and coordination relating to Australia’s transition to a net zero emissions economy.

The Bill does not include any power to order the closure of coal- or gas-fired power stations.

The Bills’ most substantive provision is the Energy Industry Jobs Plan (the Plan) in Part 5, which is a structural adjustment framework for the workforce transition that occurs after an owner/operator announces their intention to close a coal-fired or gas-fired power station. The Plan also covers the workforce of ‘dependent employers’ such as coal mines (if they provide coal to generate electricity at a coal-fired power station that is closing), and other suppliers.

The NZEA’s CEO and the Fair Work Commission (FWC) have pre-eminent roles in the Plan.

The mechanisms for the Plan will include:

  • consultations with relevant employers, employees and employee organisations

  • carrots and sticks (grants, and FWC determinations and orders) and

  • advice at various junctures from a Stakeholder Panel and an Energy Industry Worker Redeployment Advisory Group (EIWRAG).

The Explanatory Memorandum indicates that costs associated with the Plan have not been fully identified at this stage.

The Explanatory Memorandum provides information about the NZEA’s likely running costs but also notes that ‘departmental and administered costs associated with the Plan’s implementation and operation’ are not available at this stage. The NZEA Bill foreshadows the provision of funding or grants to workers and/or their employers, but the Bill and Explanatory Memorandum are silent on specific mechanisms and likely costs.

The NZEA Bill will give the FWC additional responsibilities in relation to the Plan but will not make any changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 as the Plan is intended to work within the existing industrial relations framework. However, the Explanatory Memorandum is silent on funding implications for the FWC of these additional responsibilities.

Votes Passed by a small majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Australian Greens (100% turnout) 4 Yes 0 No
Adam Bandt Melbourne Yes
Stephen Bates Brisbane Yes
Max Chandler-Mather Griffith Yes
Elizabeth Watson-Brown Ryan Yes
Australian Labor Party (96% turnout) 74 Yes 0 No
Anthony Albanese Grayndler Yes
Anne Aly Cowan Yes
Michelle Ananda-Rajah Higgins Yes
Jodie Belyea Dunkley Yes
Chris Bowen McMahon Yes
Tony Burke Watson Yes
Matt Burnell Spence Yes
Linda Burney Barton Yes
Josh Burns Macnamara Yes
Mark Butler Hindmarsh Yes
Alison Byrnes Cunningham Yes
Jim Chalmers Rankin Yes
Andrew Charlton Parramatta Yes
Lisa Chesters Bendigo Yes
Jason Clare Blaxland Yes
Sharon Claydon Newcastle Yes
Libby Coker Corangamite Yes
Julie Collins Franklin Yes
Pat Conroy Shortland Yes
Mary Doyle Aston Yes
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs Yes
Justine Elliot Richmond Yes
Cassandra Fernando Holt Yes
Mike Freelander Macarthur Yes
Carina Garland Chisholm Yes
Steve Georganas Adelaide Yes
Andrew Giles Scullin Yes
Patrick Gorman Perth Yes
Luke Gosling Solomon Yes
Julian Hill Bruce Yes
Stephen Jones Whitlam Yes
Ged Kearney Cooper Yes
Matt Keogh Burt Yes
Peter Khalil Wills Yes
Catherine King Ballarat Yes
Madeleine King Brand Yes
Tania Lawrence Hasluck Yes
Jerome Laxale Bennelong Yes
Andrew Leigh Fenner Yes
Sam Lim Tangney Yes
Richard Marles Corio Yes
Zaneta Mascarenhas Swan Yes
Kristy McBain Eden-Monaro Yes
Emma McBride Dobell Yes
Louise Miller-Frost Boothby Yes
Brian Mitchell Lyons Yes
Rob Mitchell McEwen Yes
Daniel Mulino Fraser Yes
Shayne Neumann Blair Yes
Brendan O'Connor Gorton Yes
Clare O'Neil Hotham Yes
Alicia Payne Canberra Yes
Graham Perrett Moreton Yes
Tanya Plibersek Sydney Yes
Sam Rae Hawke Yes
Gordon Reid Robertson Yes
Amanda Rishworth Kingston Yes
Tracey Roberts Pearce Yes
Michelle Rowland Greenway Yes
Joanne Ryan Lalor Yes
Marion Scrymgour Lingiari Yes
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong Yes
Sally Sitou Reid Yes
David Smith Bean Yes
Anne Stanley Werriwa Yes
Meryl Swanson Paterson Yes
Susan Templeman Macquarie Yes
Matt Thistlethwaite Kingsford Smith Yes
Kate Thwaites Jagajaga Yes
Maria Vamvakinou Calwell Yes
Tim Watts Gellibrand Yes
Anika Wells Lilley Yes
Josh Wilson Fremantle Yes
Tony Zappia Makin Yes
Ed Husic Chifley Absent
Fiona Phillips Gilmore Absent
Dan Repacholi Hunter Absent
Rebekha Sharkie Mayo Centre Alliance Yes
Mark Coulton Parkes Deputy Speaker No
Kate Chaney Curtin Independent Yes
Zoe Daniel Goldstein Independent Yes
Helen Haines Indi Independent Yes
Dai Le Fowler Independent Yes
Sophie Scamps Mackellar Independent Yes
Allegra Spender Wentworth Independent Yes
Zali Steggall Warringah Independent Yes
Kylea Tink North Sydney Independent Yes
Andrew Wilkie Clark Independent Yes
Russell Broadbent Monash Independent No
Andrew Gee Calare Independent Absent
Monique Ryan Kooyong Independent Absent
Bob Katter Kennedy Katter's Australian Party Absent
Liberal National Party (100% turnout) 0 Yes 9 No
Angie Bell Moncrieff No
Colin Boyce Flynn No
Cameron Caldwell Fadden No
Garth Hamilton Groom No
Henry Pike Bowman No
Phillip Thompson Herbert No
Andrew Wallace Fisher No
Andrew Willcox Dawson No
Terry Young Longman No
Liberal Party (100% turnout) 0 Yes 33 No
Karen Andrews McPherson No
Bridget Archer Bass No
Scott Buchholz Wright No
David Coleman Banks No
Peter Dutton Dickson No
Warren Entsch Leichhardt No
Paul Fletcher Bradfield No
Ian Goodenough Moore No
Andrew Hastie Canning No
Alex Hawke Mitchell No
Luke Howarth Petrie No
Simon Kennedy Cook No
Julian Leeser Berowra No
Sussan Ley Farrer No
Nola Marino Forrest No
Melissa McIntosh Lindsay No
Zoe McKenzie Flinders No
Ted O'Brien Fairfax No
Tony Pasin Barker No
Gavin Pearce Braddon No
Melissa Price Durack No
Rowan Ramsey Grey No
James Stevens Sturt No
Michael Sukkar Deakin No
Angus Taylor Hume No
Dan Tehan Wannon No
Bert Van Manen Forde No
Ross Vasta Bonner No
Aaron Violi Casey No
Jenny Ware Hughes No
Rick Wilson O'Connor No
Keith Wolahan Menzies No
Jason Wood La Trobe No
National Party (75% turnout) 0 Yes 9 No
Darren Chester Gippsland No
David Gillespie Lyne No
Kevin Hogan Page No
Michelle Landry Capricornia No
David Littleproud Maranoa No
Michael McCormack Riverina No
Llew O'Brien Wide Bay No
Keith Pitt Hinkler No
Anne Webster Mallee No
Sam Birrell Nicholls Absent
Pat Conaghan Cowper Absent
Barnaby Joyce New England Absent
Milton Dick Oxley Speaker Absent
Totals (93% turnout) 88 Yes – 53 No