Page 1716 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 9 May 2018
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freezers or washing machines. This loan helps householders to have a choice about purchasing a more energy-efficient appliance, which will further benefit them through a decrease in the running costs of the appliance long-term.
The Actsmart home and energy advice team and St Vincent de Paul have been working closely with members of the culturally and linguistically diverse groups in our community, providing tailored information on improving the energy efficiency of their homes and understanding energy bills. Culturally appropriate information is being provided through workshops. These have been extremely popular, providing information to over 600 householders just this financial year.
Many of us take these things for granted, but for the most vulnerable in our community these basic bits of information and the provision of curtains or good appliances are not a given. By providing these services and programs we are working towards future proofing these vulnerable members of the community against energy price increases and helping them to be more adaptable to climate change.
Ms Orr spoke about the EEIS, and she gave some of the numbers. I think it has been a very successful program. The program is currently being reviewed because it is legislated until 2020. I look forward to providing the details of that to members when that review is available. With energy prices on the rise, it is worth reflecting the impact this scheme has had. It has installed over 1.2 million energy saving items, saving households and small businesses $240 million off their energy bills, which is a staggering achievement for a small jurisdiction like the ACT.
I think it is worth reflecting on the virtual power plant. I do not have a lot of time left. The key point—and it goes to observations Mr Coe made; I want to assure the Assembly—is that this came about because the government created an enabling environment which has encouraged innovation. This is being done through the private sector. ActewAGL and our friends at Reposit have essentially partnered up.
In terms of Mr Coe’s observations about whether it should be expanded or not, the reality is that it will expand because people in the community are taking it up through this private sector initiative, which has been enabled by the work of the ACT government in bringing renewable energy to Canberra, in rolling out the large-scale battery program. We put those things in place. That is enabling others to innovate off the back of the work that the ACT government has put in place.
I will close by underlining the fact that the ACT government has demonstrated it is possible to get great environmental outcomes through our 100 per cent renewable energy program. We can do it—in a way not only that minimises the costs but also that protects those in our community who need support—by putting in place parallel and supportive programs both to deliver energy efficiency and to work with those who perhaps are not as literate when it comes to energy policy so that they can manage their own households and overcome some of the financial barriers they might face to becoming more energy efficient and reducing their bills. I am pleased to support Ms Orr’s motion today.
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