Western Australia's prosperity has long rested on a straightforward proposition: the world needs what we produce, and we’ve built an economy around selling it. That proposition has served the state well, but it is also narrower than it looks. Our economy is concentrated in one industry, one export and one trading partner. When commodity prices soften or demand shifts, the effects are felt across the whole state.

At the same time, WA's energy security is more fragile than most of us appreciate. Mining, transport and agriculture remain heavily dependent on imported diesel and petrol. The global oil shock triggered by the 2026 Iran War was a reminder of just how exposed we are to disruptions well outside our control.

Meanwhile, the effects of climate change become harder to ignore, including locally. Global demand is shifting toward lower-emissions goods and energy. Yet WA's own emissions continue to rise.

None of this is an argument for winding back what has made this state successful. It is an argument for building on it. Over the past year, I have consulted widely across Western Australia to understand what a more secure and diversified economy could look like, and what it would take to achieve it.

It is clear that our natural advantages could set us up for success as the world grapples with decoupling economic growth from fossil fuel energy.  Our sun, wind, land and minerals can make us essential to the world’s clean energy transition.

My findings are set out in a new report, Clean Power: Securing WA's Future Prosperity, which will be launched on Wednesday 26 August.

It makes a practical case for reducing our reliance on imported fuel, strengthening domestic energy security, and positioning WA to compete in new export industries — including green iron, critical minerals processing and clean hydrogen — where the state holds genuine natural advantages.

Beyond a climate debate, this is a question of economic strategy: whether Western Australia shapes the changes under way in global energy markets in our favour or we have them shaped for us. I encourage Curtin constituents to engage with the report on those terms, and I welcome your feedback.