Australia is a nation built on natural resources. They have fortified our economic growth and lifted

our prosperity. They created generations worth of jobs and income for regional communities. Their boom-and-bust cycles are part of our national identity and the peaks and troughs of modern Australia.

CSIRO CEO Larry Marshall with a mini-hydrogen fuel cell. Credit:Eamon Gallagher

Australian coal has powered Asia’s industrial development, but it is now time that hydrogen launches its future. Australia must be ready to capitalise on this opportunity.

The world – and our trading partners – are moving away from our national stalwart. Countries are being forced to grapple with an escalating environmental crisis that calls for lower emissions and cleaner economies. Australia is in the same position and has slowly awoken to the reality that it must decarbonise its energy supply to meet its international commitments, and in the longer term, decarbonise its minerals sector.