Page 2785 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 17 September 2014
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“(b) ACT renewable energy target is the highest of any Australian jurisdiction; and
(2) calls on the ACT Government to table all documents relating to the following by the last sitting day in November:
(a) the modelling and analysis relevant to the effect of the Renewable Energy Target and Action Plan 2 on electricity prices in the ACT; and
(b) the community consultation which was undertaken relating to renewable energy, including the questions, answers, methodology and timing of surveys.”.
In 1997 the then Prime Minister, John Howard, released the federal government’s broad climate change strategy. This included measures to promote renewable energy. This was the first of its kind in Australia and it included mandatory targets for the uptake of renewable energy power supplies across the country. This policy was legislated in 2000 and required electricity retailers and other large-scale electricity buyers to source an extra two per cent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2010.
Then, during the mid-2000s, there were aspirational targets developed by individual states and territories. In 2009 the Rudd government amended the commonwealth scheme and replaced it with the renewable energy target scheme, known as the RET, which aimed to reach 45,000 gigawatt hours of additional electricity being produced from renewable sources by 2020, which was expected to account for about 20 per cent of electricity demand. Then in 2010 the RET was split into two separate categories: small-scale and large-scale renewable energy generation.
During the decade from 2000 to 2010 many states had introduced their own targets and started to wind them back once a broader commonwealth scheme was announced. Across the states we have New South Wales following the commonwealth target, Western Australia following the commonwealth target and the Northern Territory following the commonwealth target. Victoria had their own scheme of 10 per cent by 2016 but rolled this into the expanded commonwealth scheme when it was introduced in 2010. Queensland had targets to double renewable sources every five years but changed this in favour of making budgetary savings and reducing utilities’ costs. South Australia had a target of 20 per cent by 2014, which I believe they have met.
Then we have the ACT, the smallest jurisdiction of all. In May 2011 Minister Corbell set the ACT renewable energy target of 15 per cent of total electricity usage by 2012 and 25 per cent by 2020, not too far above par relative to the other jurisdictions surrounding us. However, in November 2013 the second target was dramatically increased. It was increased to a whopping 90 per cent by 2020.
Madam Speaker, I would like to briefly address that part of Dr Bourke’s motion that refers to community support. Dr Bourke’s motion states:
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