Page 1945 - Week 06 - Thursday, 9 June 2022
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Programs such as the Energy Efficiency Improvement Scheme enable people to get free upgrades of their premises. There is the Sustainable Home Advice Program. The new Sustainable Household Scheme provides interest-free loans. The Business Energy and Water Program offers up to a $5,000 rebate. We have seen literally thousands and thousands of Canberra households and businesses take advantage of these programs, which help to reduce their energy costs.
One of my favourites is the solar for low income program. Low income households who hold a government concession card can get both a rebate and an interest-free loan that enables them to put solar on their property for a zero up-front cost, and they are saving around $1,000 a year, on average, on their electricity bills. This has an extraordinarily significant impact on low income households, and it has an ongoing impact. For the first couple of years they will pay back their loan; after that, they are simply getting significant electricity savings. We also have the $50 million program for public housing and low income households, which will also reduce energy bills.
Whilst the energy story is reasonable good in the ACT this year, we also have in place programs that will help people to keep their energy bills down in the long term.
Canberra Institute of Technology—procurement
MS LEE: My question is to the Chief Minister standing in for the Minister for Skills, in reference to the correspondence from the CIT board chair of 5 March 2021, which was tabled yesterday. Having received the advice from the board chair that he requested, was the minister satisfied that these procurements represented value for money?
MR BARR: That would be seeking an expression of opinion from the minister. I will take the question on notice, but it may well be that the line of questioning is seeking opinion.
MS LEE: Did the minister discuss any of the Government Procurement Board advice regarding these contracts with the CIT board chair or, indeed, any other government official?
MR BARR: I will need to take that on notice.
DR PATERSON: A supplementary. My question is for the Chief Minister. How many members are there on the CIT board?
MR BARR: From recollection, the act requires between seven and 11 or 12, and I think there might be about nine, but let me double-check that and I can confirm that for the member.
Federal election 2022—impact on the ACT
MR PETTERSSON: My question is to the Minister for the Arts. Minister, how will the ACT arts sector benefit from the election of the new federal Labor government?
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