I rise to speak in support of the Victorian Renewable Energy Amendment Bill
2009.
I am pleased to see that this bill will be supported by members
opposite. The crux of this legislation before us tonight is our fight against
global warming and climate change and in particular the mechanisms that need to
be put in place to take up this challenge.
Climate change presents the world with its most significant
battle, potentially bringing about an outcome which will be catastrophic if the
issue is not dealt with appropriately. I am pleased to be part of the Brumby
Labor government, which has promoted the creation and the use of renewable
energy in this state for many years and continues to promote renewable energy as
a way to take on global warming.
I am particularly pleased that the south-west part of the
Western Victoria Region, my electorate, is becoming a major alternative energy
hub.
In recent times we have seen the development of wind farms,
which is to be expected given that that form of alternative energy has been at
the forefront of the international experience of renewable energy. We have also
seen the announcement from Santos regarding its development of a gas-fired power
station at Shaw River, and the announcement from Origin Energy regarding a
gas-fired power station outside Mortlake. We have seen work on carbon sequestration in the
electorate as well as work on harnessing geothermal energy. There has been a
recent announcement regarding the possibility of harnessing wave energy off the
coast of Portland. It is an exciting time to be a member of Parliament
representing an area that is exploring and implementing a whole suite of energy
alternatives in this state. We are investigating those forms of alternative
energy and engaging with our communities, not only those communities in the
areas I have mentioned but neighbouring communities as well. As we know, a whole
range of councils have come together and are collaborating on regional planning.
Part of their planning is to ensure we have a sustainable way
forward, and part of it is to work out the best way of promoting our natural
resources and of course the skills we have in our area. In doing so we are also
undertaking formal and informal discussions with our communities.
As recently as four weeks ago I was in Koroit to announce a
$300 000 project that was about local communities being empowered and having the
capacity to engage with alternative energy companies. Lots is happening in
south-west Victoria. I recall that when I made a contribution earlier in the
term of this government in opposition to nuclear power and the plebiscite that
was being proposed at that time I said we needed to ensure that we had the fully
array of energy alternatives, particularly if we had already agreed that nuclear
was not the way forward. To be involved and to be at the forefront of such
cutting edge challenges in the electorate is a privilege and an important space
to be in in terms of developing one’s own understanding about alternative forms
of energy.
Going back to the bill, it constitutes the transferral of the
Victorian renewable energy target scheme, or VRET, to the commonwealth’s
national scheme known as the renewable energy target scheme, or simply RET. I am
pleased also that in 2010 we will move to a national scheme which will require
20 per cent of the nation’s energy will be from renewable energy sources by
2020. This will ensure consistency for all energy providers across the nation,
but it will also ensure consistency for industry and corporations, particularly
if and when they go from state to state to determine their investment and their
location. I commend the federal Labor government for bringing in the
commonwealth RET to facilitate a unified plan of action for Australia to fight
our climate change issues.
One of the legacies of the previous federal government was that
it left us in a situation where there was a view that climate change and its
effects simply did not exist.
It continued to ignore the science that has been before the
Australian public for some time now. In 2007 the Howard government refused to
support a national renewable energy target scheme. This act of irresponsibility
may be attributed to a number of positions the Howard government held, one of
which was that in the whole scheme of things Australia’s contribution to CO2
emissions is small in comparison to growing nations such as China and India and
that as a nation we could do very little to solve the problem and therefore we
should do nothing. That position in itself is quite problematic for anyone to
take, whether it be a government or a member of a family when faced with the
ultimate challenge.
Fortunately the state government was not prepared to sit back
and just wait for a national scheme, particularly given it appeared it was never
going to come about.
It acted responsibly and introduced the VRET scheme, which I
believe brought about a number of important major developments in the state,
many of which I have already touched on and are occurring in the Western
Victoria Region. We have seen a number of wind farms around Portland, Cape
Bridgewater and Cape Nelson South providing from 58 megawatts to 44 megawatts,
and also the new wind farm at Waubra, which will provide 142 megawatts.
In 2008 the state Labor government welcomed the commonwealth
government’s RET scheme in providing for a 20 per cent renewable energy target
to be met by 2020. Let us not forget that when the state Labor government
introduced its scheme the opposition did not support it. It is important to say
that. It was not just a situation at a national level; it was a situation at a
state level as well.
However, I think it is important to commend those who sit
opposite for reviewing their policy and essentially for admitting that previous
governments, and particularly the Howard government, acted irresponsibly on this
matter, and that the state government took the lead in promoting renewable
energy.
This government is constantly in search of innovative
alternative energy forms. I take the opportunity to thank the Minister for
Energy and Resources, Peter Batchelor, and also the Minister for Innovation,
Gavin Jennings, and their departments for the tireless work they undertake in
bringing about the serious and sustainable change that is needed in our
communities. I know they are not only committed to that but are absolutely
driven in terms of trying to find the best answers that will provide us with
ongoing sustainable communities. It is also worth noting that this government
purchases 25 per cent of its electricity from green power.
In terms of the mechanics of the bill before us tonight we will
see the cessation of the VRET and the introduction of the commonwealth’s RET to
ensure that 20 per cent of the country’s energy is sourced from renewable
energy. This was agreed to on 30 April. It is very pleasing and promising to see
a unified approach in this country to what I think is one of the biggest fights
humanity will face in coming generations. Let us hope we see such a unified
position in Copenhagen at the end of this year. I commend the bill to the house.
