Page 1404 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 6 May 2015
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We have significant opportunities that will come from this EOI. The government will use the EOI process to determine whether to proceed with a further reverse auction for 50 megawatts or, alternatively, give consideration to dealing directly with projects that are well advanced, well developed and ready to be deployed.
We will look very closely at those opportunities. We obviously want to continue to drive value for money for electricity customers. That is critically important. We also want to make sure that we get a significant contribution to our 90 per cent renewable energy target. And, finally, we want to make sure that there is investment—investment in our city, in our research institutions, in the corporate presence here in the ACT and in innovation businesses. Those are critically important, along with delivering on a 90 per cent renewable energy target that will help make Canberra a centre of renewable energy excellence.
Kangaroos—cull
MR COE: My question is to the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services. I refer to the current cull of kangaroos in nature reserves across the territory. Has the minister received intelligence about potential efforts to disrupt the cull and what risks this may pose to contractors and TAMS property?
MR RATTENBURY: As members will know, in previous years there have been efforts to interrupt the cull. To this point in time there have been no injuries or significant incidents recorded. That has been as a result of the efforts that TAMS has put in place, by having rangers on duty in the locations where the culling is taking place and by seeking to make sure that the operation is undertaken in as safe a way as possible.
I mention that background because TAMS will be using similar strategies this year. Given that we have had no significant incidents in the past, we believe that those precautions will adequately do the job. In terms of specific intelligence, various groups have indicated that they will endeavour to interrupt the cull, as they have in previous years. But there are no specifics attached to that at this point in time.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Coe.
MR COE: Minister, what action have you taken to persuade protesters to behave peacefully and lawfully in their protests?
MR RATTENBURY: As I indicated in my first answer—and that is, of course, the problem with pre-prepared questions—TAMS have put a series of measures in place whereby notification has been given. There has been public notification that the nature reserves are closed to the general public for certain periods of the day. As I indicated in my first answer, rangers will patrol the locations, where required. Those are the measures that have been put in place. I have also indicated publicly that live firing is taking place at these locations and implored those who disagree with the cull to think carefully about how they protest, because we do not want to see anybody get injured or worse in the course of this operation.
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