Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 6 Hansard (15 May) . . Page.. 1660 ..

MS DUNDAS (continuing):

Our electricity supplier, I understand, is no longer under the direct control of the ACT government. In April 2002 the Victorian government announced that a similar initiative to the one I am proposing today will apply to Victoria's privatised electricity retailers. From late 2002 all private electricity providers in Victoria will be required to provide information to consumers on carbon emissions as part of their electricity bills.

With this in mind, I believe that the proposal I make today should be easy to implement. Data on carbon emissions from electricity generation is already collected by the Australian Greenhouse Office. It is a small extra step to provide this information to consumers to help inform our energy use decisions, to show the benefits of wiser energy use and perhaps to remind us to turn lights off when we are not using a room. I seek the Assembly's support for the motion I move today.

MRS DUNNE (4.47): The Liberal Party opposition will be supporting Ms Dundas' motion and commends Ms Dundas on a practical approach to energy consumption. This is, as she said, a simple process that will help to underline for consumers how much energy they are using and the effect that is having on the environment. We are having a very environmental day here today. I only hope that the government will have the vision to support this motion.

MS TUCKER (4.48): The Greens will be supporting this motion. We have been thinking about doing this ourselves. Well done, Ms Dundas, for coming up with this sensible idea.

The provision of information to consumers regarding the products they buy has long been regarded as a standard principle for consumer protection. It is only in the last couple of decades that the concept of providing information to consumers on the environmental impacts of the products and services they buy has been taken on by governments and industry.

The labelling of appliances with an energy rating is probably the first example of this, and this has now been extended to motor vehicles and houses. Water-using appliances and fixtures are now labelled for their water efficiency. The idea is that if consumers are given more information about the impacts of the products and services they buy then they will change their behaviour towards more favourable options.

Members would be aware that electricity, gas and water bills now contain information on the customer's consumption patterns and comparisons with consumption from the previous year, with the aim of making the customer more aware of whether they are saving or wasting energy or water.

The idea of including information on greenhouse gas emissions of electricity consumed is a logical extension of the current information on electricity usage being given to electricity consumers. Ms Dundas has linked this issue to the GreenChoice scheme, but it does not need to be. It would be useful for all consumers to know this information, regardless of whether they are in the GreenChoice scheme.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .