Page 2570 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 2 July 2008
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MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella) (11.24): I want to address a couple of the comments that have been made during the debate on this amendment. Firstly, I want to counter Mrs Dunne’s accusation that I said it would be delayed until 1 July 2009. That is not the case at all. It is my intention to have this done as soon as possible, and I hope to be working very hard with the department on writing the regulations so that we get them done quickly. However, we have put the date of 1 July 2009 there to accentuate the fact that we want this done before that. And that is the end time; we want to make sure it is done before that.
Dr Foskey may not have listened to all of my explanation regarding that amendment. As I said, I have moved this amendment in order to have a speedier writing of the regulations. We want to make sure that is done as soon as possible, but we want that hard time line to be there as well.
Mrs Dunne made some comments about the events of last week and our wanting to get this bill in position as soon as possible. The COAG agenda was also raised. Penny Wong has notified Australia that she wants to talk about feed-in laws and tariffs at the COAG meeting which the Chief Minister is attending tomorrow. So it is very important that this legislation, as it will be a leading feed-in tariff in Australia, is finalised today so that the Chief Minister can put forward our case at a national level at the COAG meeting.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 2, as amended, agreed to.
Clause 3.
DR FOSKEY (Molonglo) (11.26): I move amendment No 1 circulated in my name [see schedule 2 at page 2655]. This amendment seeks to add a further object to the three objects of the act. The reason I am moving this amendment is that I think it is most important to add to the aims of this significant bill a reference to climate change and the need for the diversification of our currently fossil-fuel-reliant energy industry. Unless we include these concepts in the bill, decisions relating to it may not take into account this context. By way of clarification, the object that I am adding is object (b), which is to “reduce the ACT contribution to human-induced climate change”. We must certainly ensure that any energy-related decisions are made in the context of climate change.
I am very glad to hear that the government will be supporting this amendment. While I understand that they may not wish to support all of my amendments today, I would hope that after the scheme has been in place for a reasonable period of time, perhaps a year, a review will show that some of the other amendments may be sensible additions. I hope that, in rejecting any of my amendments today, it does not mean they will not be reconsidered when there is a review of the scheme.
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella) (11.28): The government will be supporting this amendment. As I have outlined previously in the Assembly, it is important that we reduce the ACT contribution to human-induced climate change. As I have outlined
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