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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 2 Hansard (6 March) . . Page.. 598 ..

MR WOOD (continuing):

Collection licences will be issued for up to five years. This will reduce administration costs when compared to the current system, where licences are generally issued for each collection. All licence holders will be required to lodge reports on an annual basis and when their licence ends. The new system streamlines reporting, allowing organisations that run several collections in a year to submit one report.

The Charitable Collections Bill 2003 is largely consistent with the New South Wales Charitable Fundraising Act 1991, which will be beneficial to organisations that collect in both New South Wales and the ACT. The bill provides for greater flexibility, equity and accountability of collections conducted in the ACT.

From today, the government will allow at least 10 sitting days for members to become familiar with this bill before it is debated. My department will contact the organisations that have held a collection licence in the past year to invite them to comment on the bill. I commend the bill to the Assembly.

Debate (on motion by Mr Cornwell ) adjourned to the next sitting.

Planning and Environment-Standing Committee

Statement pursuant to standing order 246A

MRS DUNNE (10.37): Pursuant to standing order 246A, the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment has resolved that I make the following statement concerning the inquiry into renewable energy and sustainability referred to the committee on 11 April 2002.

The committee has been asked to inquire into and report on options for renewable energy strategies for the ACT with particular reference to the feasibility of options for increasing the proportion of renewable energy consumed in the ACT using existing or emerging technologies, such as solar, wind, mini-hydro, biomass and geothermal, from facilities in the ACT region.

In addition to specific technologies, the committee has been asked to report on:

the feasibility of renewable energy sources providing the territory's energy needs;

the appropriateness of setting targets for renewable energy use; and

any other strategies to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels in the ACT.

The committee is currently considering matters that will become the subject of a series of reports to the Assembly relating to recommendations for renewable and sustainable energy strategies in the ACT. The committee is hopeful that these recommendations will be accepted and will encourage the ACT to use sustainable energy resources. One of the committee's first initiatives relates to the long-term use of photovoltaic cells to generate energy from sunlight.

The Commonwealth government, through the Australian Greenhouse Office, funds a $31 million Photovoltaic Rebate Program, known as the PVRP. The program provides financial assistance to owner occupied households whose properties are not connected to the electricity grid and who install stand-alone power systems incorporating renewable

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