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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 1 Hansard (15 February) . . Page.. 130 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

Accredited green power will be purchased by government agencies. From 2001, 10 per cent of government electricity needs will be met by energy from renewable sources. The proportion of green power purchased by the Government will be progressively increased to 100 per cent by the year 2008, subject to the ability of renewable energy suppliers to provide sufficient green power to meet its needs.

Mr Speaker, in the residential sector, the public housing energy efficiency retrofit program and the water tune-up incentive scheme, funded in the 1999-2000 budget, will be expanded. The draft budget for 2000-2001 includes $1m for improvements to the energy efficiency of ACT public housing.

Two new residential measures will also be introduced. The installation of water-efficient shower heads will be made mandatory for all new houses. The requirement to install water-efficient shower heads will impose minimal installation costs on households and will produce significant reductions in hot water energy costs for all householders. Increased energy efficiency ratings for new houses will be required. This measure will be introduced following extensive consultation with the construction industry. The ACT Energy Advisory Service will be made available to builders who wish to improve the energy performance of their standard house designs.

Mr Speaker, the commercial sector will play its part through the introduction of minimum energy performance standards. These standards will be introduced through amendments to the Building Code of Australia, and will be complemented by the introduction of the Australian Building Energy Council's voluntary code of practice.

The ACT Government will also establish, with the support of the Australian Greenhouse Office, an ACT regional managing energy for profits program, which will provide businesses with assistance to reduce their energy consumption. Major commercial energy users will be invited to join the program.

In the transport sector, Mr Speaker, funding will be provided for an innovative pilot awareness campaign. The program will help householders better understand their travel needs and reduce their dependence on the motor vehicle. Similar programs in Perth and Adelaide have been highly successful in producing long-term behavioural change that reduces vehicle emissions. These measures will be backed with funding that will ensure that they can be effectively implemented.

The draft budget for 2000-2001 includes $1.5m to fund existing measures and implement the new measures in the ACT Greenhouse Strategy. The mix of measures included in the strategy has been selected on the basis of practicality in meeting the emissions reduction target. The measures are also designed to have minimal impact on the ACT economy, and many of the measures will provide multiple benefits to the Canberra community by making the city more livable and sustainable. Initiatives included in the strategy are considered to be the most cost-effective at the moment. However, changes in technology and other advances may provide more cost-effective methods of reducing emissions in the long term. The projected emission reductions attributable to current ACT measures, national measures and initiatives in the ACT Greenhouse Strategy will allow the ACT to meet its 2008 target. Additional measures will be needed if the target for 2018 is to be achieved.

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