Page 4081 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 20 September 2011
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above and beyond the national renewable energy target. The scheme underpins an electricity customer’s ability to contribute to the clean energy challenge.
The ACT was the first jurisdiction to pass legislation to require electricity retailers to make a renewable energy offer to their customers. From 1 April 2009, electricity suppliers in the ACT were required to offer an accredited green power renewable energy product to all or new reconnecting electricity customers before any other product.
The first offer scheme increases consumer awareness of green energy and makes it much easier for people to make that choice. With support from the first offer scheme, the government has embraced green power. The ACT is the highest per capita user of green power in the country, accounting for nearly six per cent of national green power sales.
The ACT’s electricity feed-in tariff, which was introduced in March 2009, pays householders and businesses a premium price for clean energy generated at their premises. The scheme has fulfilled its 30-megawatt cap. By the time all installations are complete, it is expected that there will be approximately 10,000 installations generating renewable energy across the ACT.
The government is also aiming for its own operations to be carbon neutral. The challenge for the ACT is that it has both local government and state government functions, including schools, hospitals, public transport and emergency services. Currently, 32 per cent of all ACT government operations are powered through the green power scheme, the highest percentage of any state, territory or federal government in the country.
The government has further committed to increasing its use of renewable energy in the coming years. This forms part of our commitment to achieving carbon neutrality in the government’s own operations by 2020 and thereby demonstrating leadership on climate change mitigation through our own actions.
I turn to the use of water. The government has a good environmental history when it comes to the management and consumption of water and the treatment of waste water in the territory. Since peaking in 1997-98 at 214 kilolitres per person, the region’s annual water consumption has decreased over time to a low of 100 kilolitres per person in 2010-11. Our suburban stormwater system continues to reflect best environmental engineering practice. These outcomes are attributable to the government’s think water, act water strategy, which is aimed at using water efficiently, and the government’s water efficiency programs. Think water, act water is currently under review by the territory to ensure that it remains at the cutting edge of water management practices.
Another important element of policy setting is in relation to waste. Waste management is vital in achieving a more sustainable territory. Since the introduction of the ACT no waste strategy in 1995-96, there has been a substantial decrease in the per capita tonnes of waste sent to landfill. This strategy has been significant in reducing material that would otherwise have been disposed of at landfill and has
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