Page 1719 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 9 May 2018
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However, there are a number of pool pump manufacturers that provide up to 10-star energy efficiency. We should require star ratings on all pool pumps, because a small capital cost up-front does not necessarily mean you are going to have a small ongoing operational cost. We know that pool pumps use quite a lot of energy. I certainly encourage the GEMS Regulator to continue to look at other appliances for which we should be applying a mandatory rating, such as ovens and other high energy use products, as has been done in Europe.
I was really disappointed last night to see in the budget that the Liberal federal government has decided to continue the cuts to the pensioner energy supplement, which will cost pensioners $14 a fortnight. At a time when the Liberals are stripping back support for vulnerable Canberrans to deal with increasing energy costs, our government has increased the utility concession.
Our government will continue to take responsible steps to manage climate change in our environment, support energy efficiency in our homes and support those who need extra assistance to deal with energy costs. I really commend Ms Orr for bringing this motion forward today. I look forward to seeing the results of the continuing work we are doing in this space.
MS BERRY (Ginninderra—Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Women and Minister for Sport and Recreation) (5.10): I am very happy to be part of a government that is doing everything it can to reduce emissions to meet the challenge of climate change. The ACT will be the first jurisdiction in Australia to reach 100 per cent renewable energy by 2020, something we should all be enormously proud of.
It is important that the benefits of lower emissions and lower energy prices are accessible to the people who most need them. That is what the government has been doing in my portfolio. My portfolio of Housing and Suburban Development has been working hard to make sure that housing is provided to people who most need it but ensuring also, through our renewal program, that the homes are sustainable and best meet the needs of our tenants.
We are just past the halfway point. The next part of that program will mean that in the end more than 11 per cent of our public housing properties will be newer, more sustainable and cheaper to run—cheaper to keep cooler in the warmer months and cheaper to heat in the cooler months.
As I said, in the ACT we take as many steps as we can to improve energy efficiency in simple ways. These have been referred to in the debate. They include dual-flush toilets and water shower heads that reduce water use. In 2017 Housing ACT, in collaboration with the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate, entered into a partnership with ActewAGL to deliver energy efficient products to public housing. This has been a very worthwhile partnership. As a result, in December 2007 Minister Rattenbury and I launched a trial program to improve energy efficiency and lower utility bills for public housing tenants, under the energy efficiency improvement scheme.
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