Page 1264 - Week 04 - Thursday, 4 May 2006
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On 12 April of this year there was a very small excerpt in our media which pointed out that, while the media was hallowing the Australian government’s decision to export uranium to China, something was being overlooked, that is, that a joint enterprise called the Roaring Forties, involving Hydro Tasmania, had signed at the same time a $300 million deal to build three 50-megawatt wind farms in eastern China.
The reason for that is that China’s renewable energy market is going to be at least three times as large as its nuclear power market, possibly far larger still, because China has committed to getting 50 per cent of its energy from renewable energy resources by 2020, while uranium and nuclear power may meet perhaps five per cent of its energy needs. We all know that there is quite a long time lag.
Also, it slipped under the radar that the University of New South Wales-educated Dr Shi Zhengrong has tapped into the renewable energy market with a huge deal with China on photovoltaic solar power. He is an Australian citizen. He is now a billionaire. He made it to the Forbes list as the richest man in the world’s fastest growing economy by taking Australian solar technologies to the huge Chinese market with his company, Suntech. So, Mr Campbell, you are a little bit late if you want to sell renewable energy to the Chinese market.
Finally, I want to correct the record, something I was not allowed to do earlier today. Mr Corbell said that the Greens’ vote went down at the last election. In fact, it went up. It went from 9.1 per cent in 2001 to 9.3 per cent in 2004. Mr Corbell, I am sure, likes to be accurate and will, of course, note the truth. My own vote went up quite considerably. I would not have been elected the first time I stood if it had not. Sadly, though, Mr Corbell’s vote went down by six per cent. Perhaps that will be remedied in the next election. I just think that, if we are going to play those kinds of numbers games about those things, we should really check our facts beforehand, because sometimes things rebound upon us.
Fairbairn Park—lease
MR STEFANIAK (Ginninderra) (6.11): I am glad that Mr Corbell is here because I think that the matter I am going to raise falls within two of his categories. There is probably still a planning aspect and there is certainly an ACT Government Solicitor aspect to it. Over 12 months ago a lease for Fairbairn Park which has been long awaited by the motor sport community and is long overdue was sent to the ACT Government Solicitor, probably by PALM, for ticking off. I appreciate the work Ted Quinlan did in relation to assisting Fairbairn Park to get a long-term lease. I think it was actually to be a 20-year lease.
Despite a number of requests from the Fairbairn Park Control Council and the motor sport people in the ACT, nothing has happened; the lease document remains with the ACT Government Solicitor’s Office and has not been released back. Having worked in a solicitor’s office, I would think that 12 months is an inordinate amount of time for that. That is absolutely ridiculous. If it were one or two months or something like that, I might be able to understand the delay as I know that the wheels of government turn slowly, but a period of 12 months is absolutely ridiculous. I would appreciate having the new
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