The ACT Government needs to muscle up its draft Energy Policy if it wants to meet a 40% reduction in emissions by 2020 as recommended in an Assembly committee last year Greens Energy and Climate Change spokesperson Shane Rattenbury said today.

The Greens have made a critical submission to the draft policy which addresses issues around energy efficiency, production and consumption habits.

“Tackling energy production and consumption is critical to reducing our greenhouse emissions, but the Draft Policy is full of non-committal language and isn’t clear about how the ACT will achieve a 40% reduction in emissions. The final version really needs to be tougher,” said Shane Rattenbury.

“The cheapest way to reach the target is through money-saving energy efficiency measures and Minister Corbell himself says ‘At the heart of this policy is a massive boost to energy efficiency…’ “

“Yet the Draft Policy actually only commits to energy efficiency measures that will reduce the ACT’s greenhouse emissions by 10% less that what they would normally be in 2020.”

The Greens submission to the Governments draft energy plan includes:
- A call for the Government to commit to a 40% by 2020 target
- A call to include energy efficiency standards for residential and commercial buildings alongside incentives.
- A call on Government to extend the Energy Concession rebate and for all energy efficiency programs to target at risk households.

“Many of the aspirations in the paper are expressed in estimates and different units, making it difficult for the public to be clear about exactly where the energy Roadmap is taking us.”

“The draft policy hasn’t taken a long-term strategic view about how much green energy we should purchase from outside the ACT versus how much we should generate here in the Territory, and when we will be able to phase out our use of coal-fired electricity.

“The good news is that this version is only a draft, and that after receiving input from the community, there is still time for the Government to deliver a world class energy policy for the ACT,” Mr Rattenbury said.

ACT Greens Energy Policy Submission

The ACT Greens have today called for Molonglo to be a genuine model of sustainability with low water and energy use, and clever design innovations that will make it an easy and pleasant place for Canberrans to live.

The Greens Parliamentary team today launched a discussion paper on the planned Molonglo urban district for the Canberra community to debate and provide feedback

“The Molonglo development will become home to 55,000 Canberrans.  We need to take on new design and planning innovations to build an urban village for the 21st century that is low on water and energy use,” Greens Parliamentary Convenor, Meredith Hunter, said today.

“This is an important development that requires a whole of Government commitment to make sure we get the best outcomes for the Canberra community.

“But most importantly, we would like to bring the people of Canberra and their interests, knowledge and expertise into the discussion.”

The paper outlines 11 design and planning issues that address high sustainability, including water and energy use, transport options, design that promotes healthy communities and ongoing protection of our natural areas.

“It is time for us to move towards building zero emissions neighbourhoods,” Greens Environment spokesperson, Shane Rattenbury said.

“We must face up to being the largest inland city on the driest continent on earth.  Water sensitive design and non-potable water use is the only way to sustainably support this growth in the region’s population.”

“Protecting the biodiversity of the Molonglo river corridor is a priority and something we know that future residents will value. A chain of ponds is a far better option than building a dam,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“It’s often said that Canberra is a ‘car city’.  Building Molonglo from scratch gives us a chance to have fast and frequent public transport, on dedicated routes that will provide a very attractive alternative to the private vehicle,” Greens Transport spokesperson Amanda Bresnan said.

“Let’s not make the mistake of trying to add public transport only when demand grows.  It needs to be there from the very beginning to nurture a culture of public transport use.”

Greens Planning spokesperson, Caroline Le Couteur, said that Molonglo could become Canberra’s most truly affordable area.

“Our vision for Molonglo is for a place where housing is well designed so that heating and cooling costs are low, there is local employment, people live close to schools and shops, and there are good bus and bike transport links to the rest of Canberra.

“Molonglo should cost less to live in because it is well designed and these savings will help housing affordability.  In turn, savings in resource use mean that Molonglo will has less environmental impact.

“The Molonglo development has the potential to be a turning point for the ACT and Australia as we design and plan for a world where we need to account carefully for our energy and water use.

“This discussion paper presents ideas to the people of Canberra about an affordable and sustainable way to build and live that we can be proud of,” Ms Le Couteur said.

The Greens will consult on the discussion paper over the next two months, holding a public forum at the Assembly and engaging with community organisations and other stakeholders.

Please click here to view the discussion paper

Submissions will be received until 9/04/10 – send to: LeCouteur@parliament.act.gov.au

ACT Greens Climate Change and Environment spokesperson, Shane Rattenbury MLA, says the increased green energy buy-up announced today is the kind of policy we will see more of with four Greens in the Assembly.

“The announcement made by the ACT Government today will hopefully be one of many this Budget week that lets all Canberrans know that having Greens in the Assembly will lead to a greener and more sustainable ACT.” said Mr Rattenbury today.

“This is just the beginning – the first step along the path to 100% renewable energy use by the ACT Government, as outlined in the ALP-Greens agreement.”

“The exciting thing about this announcement is that it puts ACT government operations back at the forefront of renewable energy use nationally. Once again, the ACT is starting to be out in front on environmental issues.”

“Greens budget items that have been announced already such as the improvements to public transport and renewable energy buy-up will benefit the community and the environment.” Mr Rattenbury said.

ACT Greens spokesperson for Planning, Caroline Le Couteur MLA, will introduce a bill this week designed to minimise the environmental and financial costs of hot water heating for ACT homes.

Under Ms Le Couteur’s bill, hot water systems installed in new ACT houses and townhouses will need to be low emission types such as solar, heat pump, or efficient gas. From next year, the efficiency standard will also apply to anyone replacing a hot water system in their existing house or townhouse.

“With the Government rebates currently available, efficient hot water systems are actually the most sensible economic choice right now,” Ms Le Couteur said.

“We can make significant and fast environmental gains just by introducing well targeted energy efficiency standards such as this one.”

“Water heating accounts for a quarter of the energy used in an average home and contributes 3% of Australia’s total Greenhouse Gas emissions.”

“Replacing an electric storage system with a gas-boosted solar system reduces the amount of energy used to heat water by around 95% – which reduces emissions and saves on energy bills.”

“Over the past few years, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland have all implemented similar legislation.”

“My Bill will catch the ACT up to other States and encourage others into action.”

“The Federal Government has talked about regulating hot water efficiency for the last four years. There is no reason to delay introduction of a standard in the ACT any longer,” Ms Le Couteur said.

Greens lead candidate for Ginninderra, Meredith Hunter, today announced a plan to better utilise Federal funding allocated to the ACT for household energy efficiency.

“The ACT Greens Energy Efficiency Makeover plan will increase the roll out and scale, targeting houses below a 3-star rating,” Hunter said.

“The Greens are calling for the ACT Government to put $500,000 on the table now, to fund the plan that will put Canberra a step out in front and take full advantage of Federal funding.”

“Under the program, homes would have an expert assessment of what steps are needed to lift their energy rating, then the retrofit would be conducted by qualified tradespeople and installers.”

“This is an integrated program delivering a one-stop service for people to make their homes as energy efficient as possible.”

“Wall insulation, curtains and blinds, gap sealers, solar hot water and other efficiency measures will be paid for, over time, by reduced energy bills. The scheme will manage the debt by attaching it to the house, and organising repayments through energy bills”

The benefits for Canberra will include:

-For home owners it will mean houses that cost less to run and are worth more as an asset;
-For tenants it will mean a warmer home in winter, and cooler in summer;
-For local businesses it will be the chance to gear up for the eventual roll out of schemes like this across Australia.
-A dramatic drop in our greenhouse emissions, and the chance for Canberra to point the way for the rest of Australia.

“This program steps beyond the ad hoc rebates and subsidies offered by other parties, to make sure that the whole community is set up for a low energy future” Ms Hunter said.

An Energy Strategy, a strong renewable energy target, immediate moves for a renewable energy plant, and a focus on energy efficiency are the key elements of the ACT Greens Energy Initiative announced today by candidate for Molonglo, Shane Rattenbury.

“The ACT desperately needs an Energy Strategy. With an imperative to reduce greenhouse emissions, the likely introduction of an emissions trading scheme, and growing demand, the government needs a clear roadmap for how energy will be supplied in the future,” said Rattenbury.

“The Stanhope government promised in December 2004 to develop an Energy Strategy, and conducted extensive consultation in 2006, yet there is still nothing to show. Instead we are seeing ad hoc decision making on gas fired power stations, feed in tariffs and half hearted pre-feasibility studies for solar plants.”

“The Greens know of at least two consortia who are ready to go to build a solar thermal plant in the ACT, but the government has dragged the chain on this. Seeking bids from interested companies to establish a major renewable energy facility should start immediately after the election.”

Other key points in the initiative:
-A strong focus on energy efficiency. Cutting demand is an important part of the energy equation, and the most economic way to cut greenhouse emissions. Numerous studies and examples show that energy efficiency initiatives actually save money;
-The Energy Strategy must include a renewable energy target for the ACT. The Greens believe this should be at least 15% by 2012 and 25% by 2020. This would complement our previously announced initiative to have all government facilities purchasing 100% green power;
-Moving immediately to accept expressions of interest for a major renewable energy facility of at least 35MW. Market testing may see bids for even larger capacity.

“We live in an era where not having an Energy Strategy is simply irresponsible, and the Greens will seek to ensure this is rectified in the ACT as soon as possible,” concluded Rattenbury.