Page 3247 - Week 12 - Thursday, 19 November 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
It should not cost any more to take heed of some of the simple rules of energy efficiency, such as siting a house climatically correctly. In the long run we all know that it is cheaper in monetary cost and in environmental cost. The materials we build our homes with are also simple but important aspects of energy efficiency. Even if it may - I repeat may - cost slightly more to build in certain materials, we probably do not have the educational mechanisms to explain to the consumer the reality of what can be gained. What can we do, for instance, to encourage the use of double-glazed windows in this Canberra climate? Sure, it is initially more expensive, but the money it can save the consumer in the long term is dramatic. The consumer may not be aware, Madam Speaker, and therefore does not demand, and the provider therefore does not supply. Governments need more education, the consumers need more education and the suppliers need more education. I am hopeful, Madam Speaker, that this report will go a long way in educating both the community and government as well as stimulating that educative process.
I would like to thank the other members of the committee - presiding member Michael Moore and Lou Westende. I would also like to thank the committee secretary, Bill Symington, and all those individuals and organisations who made submissions to the inquiry. It has been a pleasure to be involved in the inquiry. My awareness levels have certainly increased and I am sure that the report that we have put together will assist our community in a most positive way. I sincerely hope that others gain as much from it as I have.
MR WESTENDE (10.59): Madam Speaker, the question of renewable energy, or should I say the quest for renewable energy, is not a new one. It has been on the agenda of various governments and has been discussed in a serious way in the boardrooms of major companies throughout Australia for well over a decade now. The subject, of course, has been around a lot longer than that. The Dutch were using windmills two centuries ago to pump water from so-called polders - areas of land which are below sea level. It was interesting to see, in the beginning of this century, windmills as we know them, the typical Dutch windmills, slowly disappearing. In the last ten years we have seen the creation of wind farms all over northern parts of Europe, especially in Scandinavia, Germany and Holland. Those people are very much aware of alternative sources of energy.
A tremendous amount of research has been undertaken by a great many organisations, not only in this country - although some very advanced work has been done here - but also, as I said, in other parts of the world. There is much greater awareness now, I believe, not only that it is important for us to pursue greater efficiencies in our energy use but also that it is fundamental to our survival and for the well-being of our planet. Probably one of the greatest advances in our thinking these days is that the question of our environment is a global issue, and that as much as we, as humans, have contributed to the great and serious environmental problems of the day, we clearly have the capacity to turn this around. Success in this respect ultimately will depend on how effectively the challenge reaches the consciousness of each and every person.
Governments can play their part. They can legislate to regulate. They can set new directions. Industry can make modifications and rearrange budgets to incorporate energy savings and prepare to shift to alternative sources when it is viable to do so. However, the most practical step that can be taken now in terms of energy conservation and the development of renewable energy resources is the
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .