Page 900 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 29 March 2011
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reducing the environmental impact of information and communications technology, or ICT, across the ACT government. The motion also required that I report back to the Assembly on these issues by 30 March 2011 prior to the finalisation and tabling of the 2011-2012 budget. Today I am pleased to provide the Assembly with a progress report on the matters contained in that motion.
Mr Speaker, based on data in the 2007-08 ACT greenhouse gas inventory, ACT government activities comprise about four per cent of the ACT’s total emissions. The government has been active in terms of managing and reducing these greenhouse emissions and establishing carbon neutrality targets and strategies. Much work is already being undertaken to more accurately monitor energy usage and assist in moving towards the ACT’s target of carbon neutrality by 2060.
The government recognises that there is a clear role for whole-of-government initiatives and leadership through its operations. To this end, the draft sustainable energy policy released in December 2009 stated that the ACT government will aim to be carbon neutral by 2020. In addition, action 11 of the ACT climate change strategy 2007-25, Weathering the change, action plan 1, committed the ACT government to assist every Canberra public school to become carbon neutral.
A draft framework for carbon neutrality is being developed in consultation with all government agencies and will be released later this year. The framework will enable and coordinate a whole-of-government approach to achieving carbon neutrality. It will also guide decisions and actions that can be taken to improve energy efficiency and minimise gas emissions.
The draft framework is an opportunity to progress improved energy efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions from all government activities, including ICT for example, through resource management plans for agencies; setting minimum standards for energy ratings of office and kitchen appliances; engaging staff in energy efficient behaviour in the workplace; and continual investigation of opportunities from emerging technologies to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
Agency annual reports already include information and trends, year to year, on energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The current process for agencies reporting energy use is the online system for comprehensive activity reporting, OSCAR. OSCAR is a web-based data gathering and benchmarking tool designed to enable agencies to input energy and greenhouse emission data to obtain a clear carbon account for their operations. OSCAR standardises the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions to produce comparable annual data sets so that agencies can track trends in energy use. To complement OSCAR, a centralised utility data management system is currently under development to enhance and streamline whole-of-government energy use reporting.
Mr Speaker, a number of other practical initiatives are also worthy of noting here. The ACT government purchases approximately 159 gigawatt hours of electricity annually across 463 sites. Preparatory work is underway for a new whole-of-government electricity contract. This should be finalised by September this year. It is expected that
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