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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 11 Hansard (6 November) . . Page.. 3726 ..

MS TUCKER: My question is to Mr Kaine in his capacity as Minister for Urban Services. Mr Kaine, the other day I asked you a question about the new green choice scheme that was announced by ACTEW last week. I think there was some misunderstanding when I asked that question, so I would like to ask you some further questions. While I obviously support a green choice scheme, I do have concerns that the Government has possibly set green choice up to fail. For a start, the price is significantly higher than the price of green power schemes in New South Wales. It is going to cost the average consumer $600 more to join. A second major problem is that there is no flexibility in the scheme. In New South Wales consumers can choose to pay 25 per cent or 50 per cent of their bill to the green power scheme. A third major problem is that it is offered only to households for whom it is not tax deductible, whereas in New South Wales businesses can join with tax deductibility. A number of large businesses, including Westfield and The Body Shop, have already joined in New South Wales. The final problem is the lack of an independent accreditation system. All of the New South Wales schemes are accredited and audited by the New South Wales Sustainable Energy Development Authority. Mr Kaine, as a shareholder in ACTEW, can you inform this Assembly whether the Government will guarantee that ACTEW will introduce more flexible options? Will you assure the Assembly that the scheme will be extended to businesses? Also, will the Government provide a guarantee that ACTEW will work with the New South Wales Sustainable Energy Development Authority to ensure that the scheme is accredited and to ensure accountability for the money and give consumers confidence in the scheme?

MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, Ms Tucker asked me a question along these general lines a couple of days ago. I spoke to her later and indicated that I would get the details of what ACTEW is developing in this matter and let her have them. I still do not have them, but my understanding is that ACTEW is developing the concept of a green tariff further. The initial announcement was that residential users would be able to have access to a tariff, the product of which would go into a fund to provide for research and development of green energy sources in Canberra in the future. There is no immediate pay-off from that. It might be some years before we actually are able to generate green power in the ACT.

My understanding is that they are looking at a graduated scale so that not everybody has to go on the top end of the scale. They have a choice as to how far they go. I am still waiting on the details of that. I believe that ACTEW has already been talking to New South Wales. I indicated that the green tariff, in fact, was based on the tariff which applies in New South Wales. We just did not do it in isolation from what is being done there. In order to answer Ms Tucker's question in detail, I should in general take it on notice and give her a comprehensive answer, rather than trying to answer partially. If Ms Tucker is happy with that, I will take the question on notice and provide full details of what ACTEW is working on to expand the concept of a green tariff.

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