H.E. Danielle Heinecke, Monash Symposium on Climate-Resilient Infrastructure 2024

Opening Remarks by H.E. Danielle Heinecke
at the Monash Symposium on Climate-Resilient Infrastructure 2024
on 10 December 2024 at Monash University Malaysia 

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and a good morning to all. 

May I take the chance to acknowledge:

• Professor Dato’ Adeeba Kamarulzaman, President and Pro-Vice Chancellor of Monash University Malaysia, and
• Professor Manu Santhanam, Surendra and Dorothie Shah Chair in Sustainable Production Construction from the Indian Institute of Madras 

Thank you for inviting me to deliver the keynote for what is an important event, on an equally important topic: climate resilient infrastructure. 

First of all, I would like to commend Monash University on your commitment to sustainability and climate change. 

Last year, the Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub organised a mini and parallel “COP 28” which featured a forum led by respected Malaysian thought leaders. 

And now this year, it is hosting a Symposium on Climate and Infrastructure Resiliency. 

Climate Change is undoubtedly the most consequential challenge of the 21st Century.

It is a question of economics, ideology but also existential. 

We are at a watershed moment. What we choose to do today will define our economic and ecological trajectory for the next hundred years. 

And that’s why we need to get it right. 

In order to navigate the energy transition, mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts, resilient infrastructure systems are critical. 

In order to accelerate the deployment of renewables we need the right infrastructure. 

Reliable renewable infrastructure must be buttressed by robust storage and transmission systems to prevent supply shocks and manage intermittency. 

Power grids, which are the central nervous systems of the economies of the 21st century play an important role in transmission and distribution. 

Most of the time, they work so well that we don’t notice it – the true miracle of well-functioning infrastructure is its ability to remain invisible.

But there is the looming spectre of risk.

Climate change will alter how often damaging events such as floods and fires occur, and how severe they are. 

There are direct damages and flow-on or indirect impacts such as disruption to the economy, productivity and our way of life. 

Owners of infrastructure need to factor the future climate conditions into their planning and management of infrastructure to reduce the potential for loss from damage and disruption to their organisations and communities. 

The Australian Experience

Now let me share some of the Australian experience.  

Summer has just begun.

For many Australians, this means soaking up rays at the beach and enjoying a swim, or exploring some of our fantastic forest national parks.

But for many others, December to February is bushfire season. 

This is a time when our energy systems are put to the test.

2023 was one of the most intense bushfire seasons in recent memory.

And in the past two years preceding that, Australia experienced five severe floods caused by climate change and La Nina. 

This resulted in widespread damage to homes, businesses, roads, bridges, power lines and caused community displacement, leaving them to face long periods of recovery. 

Last month, Australia’s CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology found that eight of our nine warmest years have occurred since 2013. 

Their Biennial State of the Climate report warned of more extreme heat, longer fire seasons, heavier rainfall and rising sea levels. 

Vulnerabilities in our energy system also became clear, with brown- and blackouts occurring in conjunction with heat and storm events.

The 2021 Bushfires combined with what is known as the Finkel Review accelerated a shift towards more resilient, climate adaptive renewable energy systems.

I want to speak quickly about the Finkel Review. 

This was a landmark inquiry led by Dr Alan Finkel, formerly Australia’s Chief Scientist and Chancellor of Monash University, into Australia’s electricity market resulting in transformative recommendations which have laid the building blocks for climate resilience and energy transition policies. 

The Turning Point

Now Australia has come a very long way. 

What we’ve come to realise is we have an abundance of wind and solar resources, enough to power our own economy and deliver clean, reliable electrons and molecules to partners in the Indo-Pacific and around the world.

We have a high degree of sunlight penetration. 

We have above average offshore and onshore wind.

These are all comparative advantages that were endowed to us as a nation. 

A few years ago, we set a target of 82 per cent renewable energy in our grid by 2030. 

In October we hit the maximum ever recorded at 74 per cent, albeit temporarily. Just five years ago this was 46 per cent. 
In fact, renewable energy penetration has increased 25 per cent in the last two years. 

Australians are adding about 5000 solar PV systems to their roofs every week. 

In the next five months, another five and a half gigawatts of capacity is due for financial close. 

All while Australians are enjoying cheaper tariffs and paying less for power. 

And this is happening despite geopolitical tensions, despite supply shocks and despite disruption to global energy markets. 
This is only possible because we are putting our faith in renewables.

On the policy front, we’ve reformed our Safeguard Mechanism to ensure 215 of our largest national emitters are reducing their emissions stably and sensibly.

Climate resilience also sits at the centre of our public policy. 

Through the $1 billion Disaster Ready Fund, Australia is proactively preparing for natural disasters by investing in infrastructure that mitigates future risks.

The Queensland's Betterment Fund has been investing over $533 million since 2013 to rebuild essential public assets, such as roads and bridges, to higher standards, saving money and lives by ensuring communities withstand and recover faster from future disasters. 

This is progress. But the challenge is to keep the momentum going. And to not take our eye off the ball.  

National Interest and Regional Ambition

What I’m trying to say is that Australia has learnt its fair share of lessons. 

Lessons from successes but also lessons from failures. 

Lessons of energy transition and infrastructure resiliency. And that’s why we want to share these lessons and expertise with our regional partners, in Indo-Pacific region 

Because we believe that neighbours that have more resilient and secure energy systems will contribute to all of us enjoying a more stable, Indo-Pacific. 

And because energy security is ultimately national and regional security. 

That’s why we share Malaysia’s commitment to climate resilience. 

The Madani Ekonomi Framework, with its emphasis on green growth, in addition to the National Energy Transition Roadmap is testament to Malaysia’s commitment to decarbonisation and reshaping a more sustainable economy. 

Building the infrastructure that the region will need requires large upfront capital investment. 

According to the ADB, Southeast Asia needs around USD210 billion in infrastructure investment annually to maintain growth momentum, tackle poverty and respond to climate change.

And this infrastructure needs to withstand the test of time.

That’s why in Malaysia we are leveraging our regional cooperation initiatives, like Partnerships for Infrastructure, to help deliver infrastructure technical expertise and capacity building in key industries like energy and maritime. 

We are working with the Malaysian Ministry of Transport to establish the right policy settings for green bunkering, so that cargo ships plying the Malacca Straits have the opportunity to contribute to maritime decarbonisation. 

We are working with Sarawak Energy on optimising pumped hydro energy storage models to support the deployment of renewables. 

And we have shared knowledge on Australia’s maritime decarbonisation journey at various platforms like the ASEAN Maritime Connectivity Forum and back to back instalments of Malaysia Maritime Week. 

Beyond Malaysia, Partnerships for Infrastructure is partnering with Cambodia and Philippines authorities to integrate resilience principles into their public transport designs. 

On the whole, Australia has pledged $3 billion in climate financing towards developing countries from 2020 – 2025, through loans and grants.  

These funds are channelled towards global funds like the Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility, and disbursed through programs like the Australian Climate Finance Partnership. 

And we will do more in 2025. 

2025 is a pivotal year. It is the 70th Anniversary of Australian Malaysian bilateral relations. 

But it is also the year Malaysia chairs the regional ASEAN forum. 

And Australia will do what we can and what we must to support our partner Malaysia in its chairmanship year. 

Reality Check

Climate change is a lived reality, not a contestable prediction.

It is also a classic collective action problem.

The people most affected by climate change are developing countries, our unborn children and future generations. 

Therefore, a paradigm shift in thinking is needed to preserve the future of a generation yet to be born. 

Because necessity is the mother of action. And there will be a price to pay for inaction. 

We have an economic opportunity to transform disadvantages and bridge inequalities through a just and equitable energy transition. 

To ensure no one is left behind in a net zero world. 

We have the will, we have the expertise, and we have an open door.

But what we don’t have is any other choice but to act.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. 

I wish you a successful Climate Symposium.

Read more about why climate resilient infrastructure is so important in the fight against climate change.