Page 3844 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 30 November 2021
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potential quality issues from potentially alleged “rogue operators”. What standards has your government set for suppliers to protect Canberra households using the Sustainable Household Scheme?
MR BARR: I thank Mr Hanson for the question. That reporting was entirely erroneous and had no basis in fact. The scheme has in place a very rigorous set of protections in terms of, for example, a new entrant seeking to suddenly merge into the industry. So you need to be in operation within the ACT for 12 months prior to the commencement of the scheme in order to participate. You need to be accredited with the various industry bodies, and if there is any evidence that you are not adhering to the rules of the scheme, you are kicked out immediately.
We have been auditing regularly; we have been assessing the processes; we had a pilot scheme, and the evidence is that the scheme is working particularly effectively. I can advise the Assembly that 564 installations have been completed. There are 1,575 loans approved pending installation, and 1,882 loan applications. The average loan value is $9,700, and $20.1 million has been approved in terms of the total loan application value. A total of 3.8 megawatts of rooftop solar power has already been installed under the scheme. It is performing very well. It is being very rigorously monitored to ensure that consumers are protected and are getting exactly what they paid for. There is zero tolerance on the supplier side for any rogue behaviour.
MR HANSON: Will your government provide a warranty to Canberrans if the installation or materials are found to be substandard under the Sustainable Household
Scheme?
MR BARR: No, the consumer warranty protections sit with the product suppliers and installers.
DR PATERSON: Can you outline the benefits to the ACT community of the household scheme?
MR BARR: Thank you for the question. They are threefold. The benefits are threefold. The scheme supports emissions reduction. It supports a reduction in household energy bills because the switch to more efficient appliances results in smaller bills for households, and it supports a sustainable program of job creation and ongoing jobs in the industry. It is not a crazy, must-begin-in-six-months homebuilder-type scheme that fuels a massive level of demand and then everything falls off a cliff. This goes on, I hope, well beyond this term of government.
Schools—end-of-year events
DR PATERSON: My question is to the Minister for Education and Youth Affairs. Minister, COVID-19 has been an ongoing challenge for all schools this year. How are schools celebrating the end of such a year?
MS BERRY: I thank Dr Paterson for her question. Yes, it has been a remarkable year for all schools in the ACT and around the country. I want to acknowledge the mammoth effort of parents, students and all school staff during this period. Teachers
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