Page 1674 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2016
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prices are very competitive. We have demonstrated time and again that we can achieve low prices for large-scale renewables; indeed the lowest prices ever achieved for wind nationally over two consecutive auctions. That is in our city’s best interests.
This Labor government has a vision for a city that is innovative and that is diversified in its economic footprint, and renewable energy excellence is part of that vision. Jobs and investment and innovative start-up companies and Canberra-based spin-offs like Windlab and Reposit Power, growing our research and our strengths in the university sector, in the TAFE skills sector and reducing the environmental impact of our city’s greenhouse gas emissions; these are all good things for our city, and we know they are strongly supported by Canberrans.
A recent review by the Australia Institute confirmed that across the ACT 78 per cent of people polled supported a 100 per cent renewable energy target by the year 2025. Only 10 per cent of people surveyed opposed that. And over 62 per cent of people polled supported paying a little more to make that transition. These are policies that people understand. These are policies that people support because they know it makes sense and they know it is the transition that our economy must go through if we are to be sustainable, if we are to reduce the impact of our habitation on this planet and ensure that the planet itself is able to continue to sustain us.
I want to thank members for their support, albeit some of it lukewarm from those opposite. I worry about what they would do if they were in government. I worry about whether they would wind back these commitments. We need to see a much more definitive statement of support from the Liberal Party around the renewable energy agenda, because right now I do not think you can take their views as expressed this evening as in any way an endorsement of the importance of this reform agenda.
But I thank members for their support. Let us get on with the job. Let us get on with the job of achieving 100 per cent renewables, investing in jobs and economic opportunity in our city and helping make a just transition to a low carbon future. I commend the bill to the Assembly. I present a revised explanatory statement to the bill.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
Adjournment
Motion (by Mr Gentleman) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
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