Page 2523 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 13 August 2014
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The government is strongly focused on assisting low-income households in the territory to manage their energy and water costs, improve environmental outcomes and reduce the impact on their budget. This year’s budget includes funding to assist those households to reduce their electricity and gas consumption through the retrofitting and replacement of older, less efficient appliances. The outreach program has already had an impact on over 1,000 households.
The energy efficiency improvement scheme has now been in operation for 18 months, and during that time it has assisted 23,500 Canberra households. During 2015 the government will be giving consideration to a range of new initiatives flowing from this program as a result of the payments that have been collected from tier 2 retailers. These initiatives will contribute to an ongoing objective to reduce the city’s carbon emissions.
The government is, of course, committed to the generation of electricity by renewable energy. Our commitment to a 90 per cent renewable energy target will be achieved with only a minor impact on consumers, and this will be offset by savings from the programs I have already mentioned. So contrary to the claims from the shadow minister for the environment, the increase in costs associated with the transition to renewable energy is about $4 per household per week when all generation is in place and operating in the year 2020. That is offset by average savings per household per week of $4 through the energy efficiency improvement scheme. This government is demonstrating how improvements in energy use and consumption, improvements in efficiency, can offset the transition to a renewable energy future.
The government has recently announced a new wind auction process which, once completed, will generate over 200 megawatts in renewable energy from wind generation. This, combined with the solar projects that are already underway or about to commence, will underpin the ACT’s reputation as a leader in meeting the challenges of climate change.
The government is also strongly focused on matters in relation to biodiversity management. The review of the Nature Conservation Act will be finalised in the coming year. The Nature Conservation Act is the chief legislation for the protection of native plants and animals in the ACT, and it sets the framework for the management of our nature parks and reserves. The government has undertaken extensive consultation to hear the community’s concerns and aspirations for this legislation.
Kangaroo management is a critical element of the management of our biodiversity. This year’s budget allocates just under $1 million—$924,000—to further deliver on research work for this important task. These studies will enhance the already significant understanding the government has in relation to the impact of kangaroo populations on broader biodiversity values. The government is committed to developing non-lethal solutions and, as such, this funding will be used to research options for the dart delivery of fertility drugs to better maintain the kangaroo population.
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