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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 2620 ..

MS HORODNY: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Urban Services, Mr Kaine. Mr Kaine, yesterday in question time you said that the contract between ACTEW and Yallourn Energy had no environmental implications because it did not increase the amount of electricity that Yallourn generates, and that in no way adds to any degradation of the environment whatsoever. Minister, does this mean that you do not believe that there is such a thing as the greenhouse effect and that the continuing emission of greenhouse gases from electricity production is degrading the environment through global warming, and that you disagree with the objectives of the United Nations climate change convention that greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced - not just stay the same but be reduced? Minister, do you also not believe that ACTEW, with its corporate objective to conduct its operations in compliance with the principles of ecologically sustainable development, should be trying to reduce its impact on the environment through promoting suppliers of electricity that produce less greenhouse gas emissions rather than merely maintaining its current impacts on the environment?

MR SPEAKER: Mr Kaine, you may attempt to answer that omnibus question, but - - -

MR KAINE: I am sure I can answer it quite well. As to the first part, no, the answer that I gave yesterday does not mean any of the things that Ms Horodny just spelt out. All it means is what I said; that the contract does not increase the amount of electrical energy, whether it degrades the environment or not, coming out of Yallourn. I make a simple statement and it does not entail or imply any of the things that Ms Horodny just asked me about.

In terms of ACTEW's corporate obligation to preserve and improve our environment, I believe that they do have regard for that obligation in what they do. That is why they have been looking at things like a gas powered generator which would be less destructive of the environment. That is why they have got right behind the conversion of methane gas at our garbage dumps to electrical energy - because it is environmentally productive. That is why they have taken up the question of green power and are moving to the point of offering to people in Canberra the opportunity of buying green power if they are prepared to pay the extra premium that that is going to cost. I do not think ACTEW has anything to apologise for in terms of its approach to the environment, and I think if Ms Horodny were honest she would concede that.

MS HORODNY: I ask a supplementary question: Mr Kaine, do you not believe that the ACTEW deal with Yallourn will improve Yallourn's ability to compete in the national electricity market and thus maintain and potentially increase the amount of brown coal generated electricity that will be fed into the national grid?

MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, no, I do not believe that that is a necessary consequence of the contract at all.

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