Page 1476 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 14 May 2014
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deliver around 24 per cent—that single option alone—a quarter of our total electricity consumption, projected in 2020.
We know that these projects are creating jobs and economic opportunity. Over 100 people have been employed in the development of the Royalla solar farm. That is everything from design to engineering, research and development on the ground. Wind projects typically employ one person per four megawatts during operation and many, many more during the construction. These are jobs with a sustainable future. These are jobs with opportunity.
Mr Smyth interjecting—
MR CORBELL: Mr Smyth does not seem to care about jobs. He does not seem to care about investment in—
Opposition members interjecting—
MR CORBELL: He does not care. We heard his lecture this morning that we need more jobs in the private sector. Well, here is a private sector industry wanting to invest in Australia, bring money to Australia, employ Australians, but apparently that is not good enough.
Mr Coe interjecting—
MR CORBELL: I will mention your interjection to the Spanish ambassador, Mr Coe, and see what he thinks about that. I mean, how insulting is that? How insulting is it? Companies want to invest in Canberra, but if they are from overseas we do not want them. Is that the new Liberal policy? If a company is from overseas, we do not want them? (Time expired.)
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Lawder.
MS LAWDER: Minister, why, if this is the lowest cost option, will meeting the 90 per cent renewable energy target add 16 per cent to our electricity bills by 2020?
MR CORBELL: The net cost to households, when you look at energy savings as well as the cost of purchasing renewable energy supply, is around $4 per household per week in 2020, offset by energy savings of around $4 per household per week, thanks to measures this government has introduced, such as the energy efficiency improvement scheme—a scheme, of course, opposed by those opposite even though it reduces household electricity bills. They are just beyond the pale, Madam Speaker, when you think about that. Here they are, lecturing us on the cost of living, and they still cannot reconcile their opposition to a scheme that saves households money on their energy bills.
Asbestos—removal
MR DOSZPOT: My question is to the Minister for Workplace Safety. Minister, with regard the issue of Mr Fluffy loose-fill asbestos in ACT homes, you stated in the Canberra Times on 23 April 2014 that:
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