Page 2794 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 17 September 2014
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I will be supporting Dr Bourke’s motion. Far from these measures we are putting in place being bragging rights, as Ms Lawder suggested, I think that we in fact have a clear responsibility to take these steps. The ACT has the highest per capita emissions in Australia when it comes to greenhouse gases, and these are the sorts of steps that will help us turn that around. It is simply, I think, morally reprehensible to be in a situation where we are the highest per capita emitters of greenhouse gases, given the science I talked about earlier.
Our response to the measures talked about by Dr Bourke in his motion is economically responsible. Mr Corbell has talked about the evidence of that being available, the evidence of the impact on consumers.
I certainly will not be supporting Ms Lawder’s amendment, for two reasons. One is that in moving her amendment she has actually removed all the rest of the motion, which I do support. If she had simply sought to add the final part of her amendment, part 2, which is the calls on section, I perhaps could have looked at that, although again as that information is already publicly available, it is undoubtedly unnecessary. On that basis I am very happy to support Dr Bourke’s motion today.
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Minister for Planning, Minister for Community Services, Minister for Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations, Minister for Children and Young People and Minister for Ageing) (11.45): I rise today to support the motion moved by Dr Bourke. The move towards renewable energy is one of the biggest challenges and the most important hurdles of our lifetime, and I am proud to be an elected member of a jurisdiction whose constituents are highly motivated to reduce our emissions and subsequent impact on the atmosphere. Given that 87 per cent of people surveyed by the Environment and Planning Directorate in 2013 were supportive of the government’s plan for tackling emissions, I am also very proud to be part of a government which is so accurately focused on the issues which concern its community.
It is my strong belief that one of the most important pieces of legislation that has been passed in this place was the Electricity Feed-in (Renewable Energy Premium) Bill 2008, which provides the framework that enables capital investment into renewable energy generation to be recouped within a reasonable period. I was very pleased to present this bill to the Assembly and to see it passed in July 2008. I was also very pleased to see all members of the Assembly support the legislation, including the Canberra Liberals. This bill was one of the key factors in the facilitation of the eventual turning of the sod at the Royalla farm on 16 October last year, which I was pleased to attend.
The feed-in tariff also facilitated the official opening of the Royalla Solar Farm less than two weeks ago, on 4 September. This solar farm is the biggest in Australia. It now produces 20 megawatts of clean, carbon-free electricity—to the benefit of not only residents of the ACT but the wider global community, through emissions reduction.
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