Page 2905 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 30 June 2010
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MR CORBELL: The government itself is working closely on the issue of electric vehicles, following from the Chief Minister’s announcement last year and the decision of Better Place to choose Canberra as the first city in Australia to have an electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Since that time the government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Nissan and Renault, exploring the issue of the development of policy for the deployment of electric vehicles into the ACT. Work on that MOU, as a result of that MOU, is ongoing.
The government is also exploring the development of a range of other measures to encourage the deployment of electric vehicles. In particular, in the government’s own fleet we already have a very strong policy of encouraging more fuel-efficient vehicles, through only leasing four-cylinder vehicles. The process that my department is coordinating across government is now looking at the possible deployment of electric vehicles as part of the ACT government’s own fleet, and decisions on that will be made in due course. Equally, we are cooperating closely with ActewAGL, and I know that my colleague Mr Barr and the planning authority are working closely with ActewAGL in relation to planning issues that arise from the deployment of the electric vehicle charging technology that they propose.
So a lot of work is happening in this space, and it is very exciting that Canberra is the place that has been chosen for the electric vehicle rollout by Better Place in terms of the charging points; that we have manufacturers like Nissan and, indeed, last week Mitsubishi, making their vehicles available to government, to understand what the issues are associated with the use of those vehicles here in the ACT; and, of course, that we now have a private developer at the Belconnen markets prepared to actually put their money where their mouth is and deploy that technology. So it is a very pleasing development.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary, Ms Le Couteur?
MS LE COUTEUR: Minister, you mentioned a range of technologies—geothermal, black water and grey water reuse. Which of these will the government be implementing in Molonglo?
MR CORBELL: You would need to ask the Minister for Planning that question.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Le Couteur, a further supplementary?
MS LE COUTEUR: Yes, a further supplementary, Mr Speaker. Minister, you talked about the green star rating. I think this is going to be in your purview, but will the government now be using the green leasing principles in terms of any new government building leases? I think that is a legal matter; so it could be for the Attorney-General. I am trying to get it in your bit.
MR CORBELL: The government, along with all state and territory governments and the commonwealth, has endorsed new green leasing principles that will apply to a broad range of rentals that governments enter into for accommodation. They set new standards in relation to energy and water performance and a consistent set of principles that will be used as a minimum by all state and territory governments. The ACT government has endorsed those principles and I am happy to provide Ms Le Couteur with further information in relation to those.
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