Page 5059 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 26 October 2010

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Emergency Services) (4.33): Just to make it clear, let me say in response to some of the assertions made by those opposite, that the government remains committed to a process whereby we provide detailed cost-benefit analysis as part of individual policy initiatives. Those policy initiatives will be announced through the mechanisms that the government has outlined, including action plan 2, the energy policy and others. These will talk in detail about the measures that we should be adopting to work towards these emission reduction targets, the relative cost benefit of doing so, the efficiency of doing so, the opportunities in doing so and so on. The government is committed to this, and any suggestion otherwise is simply wrong. But the government believes that this level of detail is very unusual for a bill of this nature; we believe that it is the wrong place for it, not that it should not occur.

I should also highlight the comments made by Mrs Dunne in relation to energy costs. It is worth putting on the record that electricity price increases are occurring. Overwhelmingly, they are occurring because of a failure to invest in modern infrastructure to deliver electricity to people. The cost of upgrades in infrastructure is now having to be met by consumers through price increases. Indeed, in terms of electricity price increases due to the purchase of renewable energy, less than three per cent of the total increase in electricity is down to renewable energy generation, and in the longer term it is anticipated to be less than six per cent. So 93 or 97 per cent of the increases in electricity costs are not a result of renewable energy generation but a result of failure by electricity utilities, governments and others to invest in modern infrastructure.

What is very pleasing is that here in the territory, with a relatively modern electricity infrastructure, we have not had to face that same magnitude of increase that places such as New South Wales and others have. It is very important to put that on the record. Price increases in electricity are not driven overwhelmingly or even significantly by renewable energy generation; they are driven by a range of other structural factors. It is important that commentators and members in this place understand that. The government will not be supporting this amendment, but we remain committed to detailed assessment and analysis of our policies moving forward.

Question put:

That Mr Seselja’s amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Question so resolved in the negative.

Proposed new clauses 20A and 20B negatived.

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