Page 2790 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 17 September 2014
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a large and very abundant range of renewable energy resources. We have very good sunlight here in the ACT. It is not as good as perhaps places further to the north—certainly not—but compared to most other capital cities in the country it is one of the best solar resources in the country. We have excellent wind resources immediately to our north in the areas around Lake George, through to Goulburn and out towards Cootamundra. They are some of the best wind resources in the eastern coast of Australia.
These are resources that we should be utilising, and we are doing that. We are supporting it through the development of the Royalla solar farm. We are supporting it through the development of the Mugga Lane solar farm that received its planning approval in the past month. We are supporting it through the large-scale wind auction and we are supporting it through the proposed Uriarra solar farm which is, of course, subject to a development assessment process right now.
Those are the very strong policies that this government have put in place. But we are not just interested in the renewable energy outcomes; we are also interested in the economic outcomes. That is why we are saying to companies that are bidding in the wind auction right now that they should not only deliver great value for money when it comes to renewable energy; they need to deliver jobs and investment in our city and in our region. They need to show us how they are going to support institutions like the ANU or the CSIRO, who do world-leading research in renewable energy, and how they are going to support the local economy through services, contractors and suppliers. They need to demonstrate how they are going to make a long-term commitment to our economy—not just for the energy supply but also for the economic growth and development of our city, which is so critical for so many people.
Madam Speaker, the Labor government has a strong and progressive policy on renewable energy. Cities around the world are responding in similar ways. We are not exceptional in global terms. What is exceptional are the policies of the Liberals nationally and here in the ACT, who refuse to recognise that these changes are critical for our community’s future. (Time expired.)
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (11.31): I am very pleased to discuss these matters today and I thank Dr Bourke for bringing forward the motion because it is an area of contentious policy at this time. So it is timely to discuss these exact matters that Dr Bourke has raised in his motion.
What we have in the Abbott federal government is a bunch of climate deniers. This is clearly demonstrated by their head-long rush to dismantle the architecture put in place to tackle the issue. All they have managed to do since they have come to power is undo action on climate change. We have seen that in a range of areas with the repealing of the carbon tax, the desire to abolish ARENA. The abolition of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation was certainly on the list. They may have been talked out of that but it seems their funding is going to be gutted anyway.
We have seen now the considerable push to demolish the renewable energy target and we have seen a cut in funding for climate science at the CSIRO because, of course, if you are going to be a denier at least you do not want to have people inconveniently
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