Page 3827 - Week 10 - Thursday, 27 August 2009
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think term of reference No 21 or 22 was to give consideration to possible cost savings, I think.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, a supplementary question?
MR SMYTH: Yes, thank you, Mr Speaker. Chief Minister, why did you not acknowledge that the report from Ernst & Young contained a complete chapter on possible cost savings and identified on page 91 possible savings of up to $10.1 million?
MR STANHOPE: Well, I would have, had I been aware of it at the time. Mr Smyth. That is why I ultimately took the question on notice, because I was not clear. Hence, I took the question on notice.
Visitors
MR SPEAKER: I would like to note that we have members of the Belconnen Probus club joining us in the gallery in the Assembly today for question time. I welcome them to the ACT Legislative Assembly.
Questions without notice
Energy—feed-in tariff
MS BURCH: My question is to the Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water. Minister, can you provide an update to the Assembly on when the public consultation will take place on the second part of the feed-in tariff policy.
MR CORBELL: I thank Ms Burch for the question. Yes, I can advise the Assembly what the time frame is for the government’s assessment of stage 2 of our feed-in tariff. Of course, our feed-in tariff is proving to be a very successful policy, a policy that has already seen growth of 28 per cent in the uptake of renewable energy at the household level here in Canberra. And we know that there are another 200 installations seeking approval at this very time here in the ACT—another 200 homes indicating that they wish to install solar on their home, their shopping centre or a community centre. That is a very strong endorsement of the policy and the community’s response to it.
At the moment, as members would be aware, the government’s policy and the legislation provide for the feed-in tariff to be accessible only to installations of a 30-kilowatt capacity and that most government-based activities other than schools are excluded from accessing the tariff. As part of the development of stage 2, the government is looking at the current regime, and in particular whether larger scale generators—that is, greater than 30 kilowatts capacity—should be made eligible to participate in the scheme.
I anticipate that I will be releasing a discussion paper later in September, for public and industry consultation, which will be looking at a range of issues. It will look at the options for expanding the feed-in tariff to larger scale generators; it will look at some of the issues around any impacts on consumers versus any benefits to consumers and
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