Page 1228 - Week 04 - Thursday, 5 May 2022
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While we have made some great achievements to date, our appetite to deliver progressive and bold climate action has not wavered. We are building on our achievements by taking the next steps necessary to reduce our city’s greenhouse gas emissions and we are focussed on eliminating the use of fossil fuel gas and decarbonising our transport system. Although the ACT is a small jurisdiction in Australia, we can show other jurisdictions, and the world, what is possible to achieve in the transition to a zero emissions future, while supporting Canberra households and businesses with the transition.
We are continuing to work hard, and today it is my pleasure to talk to the Assembly about the Home Energy Support program and the Business Fleet Advisory Service—two new, innovative initiatives that further our progress on real climate action and provide tangible benefits to our community, our economy and our environment. In 2020, the ACT Greens took a bold and ambitious climate action plan to the election. We have worked hard to embed our election commitments into the Parliamentary and Governing Agreement, and now we are working hard to deliver these commitments for the benefit of our community. The government has heard loud and clear from Canberrans that climate action is important and that we need to continue to deliver progressive and world leading climate action.
The Home Energy Support program delivers on our election promise to establish a $50 million fund to improve the efficiency and sustainability of buildings, targeting those who live in social and public housing, low-income homeowners, and the lowest performing rental properties. Lower-income households tend to spend a relatively higher proportion of their income on energy, and they feel energy price rises the most. Improving the thermal performance of dwellings and increasing access to energy efficient heating and cooling appliances are measures that reduce the likelihood that vulnerable groups will experience energy hardship. This program will help support those in our community who are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and least able to transition to a more comfortable, energy efficient home.
The Home Energy Support program aims to complement the development of the minimum energy efficiency standards for rental homes, which are currently being considered by government to address the poor thermal performance of rental homes. The ACT government has recently launched the first component of the Home Energy Support program, which provides rebates for low-income homeowners to invest in energy efficiency upgrades. The first product offered is rooftop solar, with rebates of up to $2,500 available to homeowners who hold an Australian government pensioner concession card or a Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card, and who meet the program criteria.
Homeowners also have access to an optional interest-free loan through the existing Sustainable Household Scheme. Combined with the rebate, this will further address the financial barrier for households to benefit from rooftop solar. The rebate on offer for homeowners to install rooftop solar is a continuation of the successful Solar for Low Income program, which supported over 670 low-income homeowners from December 2017 to June 2021, each homeowner saving over $1,000 per year, on average.
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