❓ The WA government is consulting on achieving a 15% renewable energy target by 2020, but faces potential conflicts with federal legislation. The Minister criticizes the opposition's stance on renewable energy.
AnsweredQoN 421Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGETS
With the imminent success of its aim to have renewable energy contributing six per cent of the main electricity grid by 2010, what is the state government doing to prepare for its next target of 15 per cent renewable energy by 2020? Mr F.M. LOGAN
With the imminent success of its aim to have renewable energy contributing six per cent of the main electricity grid by 2010, what is the state government doing to prepare for its next target of 15 per cent renewable energy by 2020? Mr F.M. LOGAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. I have previously referred to the Premier’s announcement of the climate change statement last April, and the government’s commitment to a 15 per cent renewable energy target by 2020, which will show a significant increase in the use of renewable energy. Yesterday, I released a discussion paper, which has new economic modelling, as part of a 15-week consultation process on how we actually achieve that 15 per cent target and whether it is possible to do that through a mandatory process and have a mandatory renewable energy target. As I explained outside Parliament just a minute ago to a very appreciative group of people, who were very supportive and gave me a huge round of applause, it is possible to reach that renewable energy target. Part of the consultation process involves determining how we will reach that target and how the mandatory renewable energy process will work. The report has highlighted that to achieve the 15 per cent target will require an investment of more than $1 billion and the equivalent of building effectively nine wind farms similar to the 80-megawatt Emu Downs Wind Farm in Cervantes or the equivalent of 30 wind farms the size of the Albany 22-megawatt wind farm. Therefore, a significant amount of infrastructure needs to be installed to meet that 15 per cent renewable energy target. It is achievable. As part of the release of the report, we are working out how we can achieve that target and whether we do so by mandating it. However, it could all be undone because the federal government, of course, has just introduced into the House of Representatives the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill, which may well undermine the whole process of mandatory energy reporting and renewable energy target setting in the states. I find this extraordinary for my colleagues on the other side of Parliament, because the member for Capel, the member for Stirling, and the member for Darling Range - although the member for Darling Range did not speak - were outside the house today giving their slavish commitment to a mandatory renewable energy target. In fact, they were talking about an alliance with the Greens (WA) and how they were right behind the Greens’ Western Australian renewable energy target. Given that the federal government is seeking to completely undermine the mandatory renewable energy target - in fact, it wants to take it over to stop the states from achieving it - what are the members for Stirling and Capel going to do about it? What are they going to say to their friends in Canberra? Nothing. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Minister, it was extraordinary - they opposed the Mandurah rail line but they were outside the house today saying that the trains should run on solar power. What a joke! They opposed it! Liberals for greenhouse gases! Mr F.M. LOGAN : It is the fickle nature of politics. Those members were speaking to the populace on the front steps of Parliament House and told them one thing, knowing full well that they cannot introduce a mandatory renewable energy target because their friends in Canberra will take the power to do that off the states.
Mr F.M. LOGAN replied: I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. I have previously referred to the Premier’s announcement of the climate change statement last April, and the government’s commitment to a 15 per cent renewable energy target by 2020, which will show a significant increase in the use of renewable energy. Yesterday, I released a discussion paper, which has new economic modelling, as part of a 15-week consultation process on how we actually achieve that 15 per cent target and whether it is possible to do that through a mandatory process and have a mandatory renewable energy target. As I explained outside Parliament just a minute ago to a very appreciative group of people, who were very supportive and gave me a huge round of applause, it is possible to reach that renewable energy target. Part of the consultation process involves determining how we will reach that target and how the mandatory renewable energy process will work. The report has highlighted that to achieve the 15 per cent target will require an investment of more than $1 billion and the equivalent of building effectively nine wind farms similar to the 80-megawatt Emu Downs Wind Farm in Cervantes or the equivalent of 30 wind farms the size of the Albany 22-megawatt wind farm. Therefore, a significant amount of infrastructure needs to be installed to meet that 15 per cent renewable energy target. It is achievable. As part of the release of the report, we are working out how we can achieve that target and whether we do so by mandating it. However, it could all be undone because the federal government, of course, has just introduced into the House of Representatives the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill, which may well undermine the whole process of mandatory energy reporting and renewable energy target setting in the states. I find this extraordinary for my colleagues on the other side of Parliament, because the member for Capel, the member for Stirling, and the member for Darling Range - although the member for Darling Range did not speak - were outside the house today giving their slavish commitment to a mandatory renewable energy target. In fact, they were talking about an alliance with the Greens (WA) and how they were right behind the Greens’ Western Australian renewable energy target. Given that the federal government is seeking to completely undermine the mandatory renewable energy target - in fact, it wants to take it over to stop the states from achieving it - what are the members for Stirling and Capel going to do about it? What are they going to say to their friends in Canberra? Nothing. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Minister, it was extraordinary - they opposed the Mandurah rail line but they were outside the house today saying that the trains should run on solar power. What a joke! They opposed it! Liberals for greenhouse gases! Mr F.M. LOGAN : It is the fickle nature of politics. Those members were speaking to the populace on the front steps of Parliament House and told them one thing, knowing full well that they cannot introduce a mandatory renewable energy target because their friends in Canberra will take the power to do that off the states.
I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. I have previously referred to the Premier’s announcement of the climate change statement last April, and the government’s commitment to a 15 per cent renewable energy target by 2020, which will show a significant increase in the use of renewable energy. Yesterday, I released a discussion paper, which has new economic modelling, as part of a 15-week consultation process on how we actually achieve that 15 per cent target and whether it is possible to do that through a mandatory process and have a mandatory renewable energy target. As I explained outside Parliament just a minute ago to a very appreciative group of people, who were very supportive and gave me a huge round of applause, it is possible to reach that renewable energy target. Part of the consultation process involves determining how we will reach that target and how the mandatory renewable energy process will work. The report has highlighted that to achieve the 15 per cent target will require an investment of more than $1 billion and the equivalent of building effectively nine wind farms similar to the 80-megawatt Emu Downs Wind Farm in Cervantes or the equivalent of 30 wind farms the size of the Albany 22-megawatt wind farm. Therefore, a significant amount of infrastructure needs to be installed to meet that 15 per cent renewable energy target. It is achievable. As part of the release of the report, we are working out how we can achieve that target and whether we do so by mandating it. However, it could all be undone because the federal government, of course, has just introduced into the House of Representatives the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill, which may well undermine the whole process of mandatory energy reporting and renewable energy target setting in the states. I find this extraordinary for my colleagues on the other side of Parliament, because the member for Capel, the member for Stirling, and the member for Darling Range - although the member for Darling Range did not speak - were outside the house today giving their slavish commitment to a mandatory renewable energy target. In fact, they were talking about an alliance with the Greens (WA) and how they were right behind the Greens’ Western Australian renewable energy target. Given that the federal government is seeking to completely undermine the mandatory renewable energy target - in fact, it wants to take it over to stop the states from achieving it - what are the members for Stirling and Capel going to do about it? What are they going to say to their friends in Canberra? Nothing. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Minister, it was extraordinary - they opposed the Mandurah rail line but they were outside the house today saying that the trains should run on solar power. What a joke! They opposed it! Liberals for greenhouse gases! Mr F.M. LOGAN : It is the fickle nature of politics. Those members were speaking to the populace on the front steps of Parliament House and told them one thing, knowing full well that they cannot introduce a mandatory renewable energy target because their friends in Canberra will take the power to do that off the states.
Yesterday, I released a discussion paper, which has new economic modelling, as part of a 15-week consultation process on how we actually achieve that 15 per cent target and whether it is possible to do that through a mandatory process and have a mandatory renewable energy target. As I explained outside Parliament just a minute ago to a very appreciative group of people, who were very supportive and gave me a huge round of applause, it is possible to reach that renewable energy target. Part of the consultation process involves determining how we will reach that target and how the mandatory renewable energy process will work. The report has highlighted that to achieve the 15 per cent target will require an investment of more than $1 billion and the equivalent of building effectively nine wind farms similar to the 80-megawatt Emu Downs Wind Farm in Cervantes or the equivalent of 30 wind farms the size of the Albany 22-megawatt wind farm. Therefore, a significant amount of infrastructure needs to be installed to meet that 15 per cent renewable energy target. It is achievable. As part of the release of the report, we are working out how we can achieve that target and whether we do so by mandating it. However, it could all be undone because the federal government, of course, has just introduced into the House of Representatives the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill, which may well undermine the whole process of mandatory energy reporting and renewable energy target setting in the states. I find this extraordinary for my colleagues on the other side of Parliament, because the member for Capel, the member for Stirling, and the member for Darling Range - although the member for Darling Range did not speak - were outside the house today giving their slavish commitment to a mandatory renewable energy target. In fact, they were talking about an alliance with the Greens (WA) and how they were right behind the Greens’ Western Australian renewable energy target. Given that the federal government is seeking to completely undermine the mandatory renewable energy target - in fact, it wants to take it over to stop the states from achieving it - what are the members for Stirling and Capel going to do about it? What are they going to say to their friends in Canberra? Nothing. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Minister, it was extraordinary - they opposed the Mandurah rail line but they were outside the house today saying that the trains should run on solar power. What a joke! They opposed it! Liberals for greenhouse gases! Mr F.M. LOGAN : It is the fickle nature of politics. Those members were speaking to the populace on the front steps of Parliament House and told them one thing, knowing full well that they cannot introduce a mandatory renewable energy target because their friends in Canberra will take the power to do that off the states.
However, it could all be undone because the federal government, of course, has just introduced into the House of Representatives the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill, which may well undermine the whole process of mandatory energy reporting and renewable energy target setting in the states. I find this extraordinary for my colleagues on the other side of Parliament, because the member for Capel, the member for Stirling, and the member for Darling Range - although the member for Darling Range did not speak - were outside the house today giving their slavish commitment to a mandatory renewable energy target. In fact, they were talking about an alliance with the Greens (WA) and how they were right behind the Greens’ Western Australian renewable energy target. Given that the federal government is seeking to completely undermine the mandatory renewable energy target - in fact, it wants to take it over to stop the states from achieving it - what are the members for Stirling and Capel going to do about it? What are they going to say to their friends in Canberra? Nothing. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Minister, it was extraordinary - they opposed the Mandurah rail line but they were outside the house today saying that the trains should run on solar power. What a joke! They opposed it! Liberals for greenhouse gases! Mr F.M. LOGAN : It is the fickle nature of politics. Those members were speaking to the populace on the front steps of Parliament House and told them one thing, knowing full well that they cannot introduce a mandatory renewable energy target because their friends in Canberra will take the power to do that off the states.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Minister, it was extraordinary - they opposed the Mandurah rail line but they were outside the house today saying that the trains should run on solar power. What a joke! They opposed it! Liberals for greenhouse gases! Mr F.M. LOGAN : It is the fickle nature of politics. Those members were speaking to the populace on the front steps of Parliament House and told them one thing, knowing full well that they cannot introduce a mandatory renewable energy target because their friends in Canberra will take the power to do that off the states.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : It is the fickle nature of politics. Those members were speaking to the populace on the front steps of Parliament House and told them one thing, knowing full well that they cannot introduce a mandatory renewable energy target because their friends in Canberra will take the power to do that off the states.
Mr F.M. LOGAN replied: I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. I have previously referred to the Premier’s announcement of the climate change statement last April, and the government’s commitment to a 15 per cent renewable energy target by 2020, which will show a significant increase in the use of renewable energy. Yesterday, I released a discussion paper, which has new economic modelling, as part of a 15-week consultation process on how we actually achieve that 15 per cent target and whether it is possible to do that through a mandatory process and have a mandatory renewable energy target. As I explained outside Parliament just a minute ago to a very appreciative group of people, who were very supportive and gave me a huge round of applause, it is possible to reach that renewable energy target. Part of the consultation process involves determining how we will reach that target and how the mandatory renewable energy process will work. The report has highlighted that to achieve the 15 per cent target will require an investment of more than $1 billion and the equivalent of building effectively nine wind farms similar to the 80-megawatt Emu Downs Wind Farm in Cervantes or the equivalent of 30 wind farms the size of the Albany 22-megawatt wind farm. Therefore, a significant amount of infrastructure needs to be installed to meet that 15 per cent renewable energy target. It is achievable. As part of the release of the report, we are working out how we can achieve that target and whether we do so by mandating it. However, it could all be undone because the federal government, of course, has just introduced into the House of Representatives the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill, which may well undermine the whole process of mandatory energy reporting and renewable energy target setting in the states. I find this extraordinary for my colleagues on the other side of Parliament, because the member for Capel, the member for Stirling, and the member for Darling Range - although the member for Darling Range did not speak - were outside the house today giving their slavish commitment to a mandatory renewable energy target. In fact, they were talking about an alliance with the Greens (WA) and how they were right behind the Greens’ Western Australian renewable energy target. Given that the federal government is seeking to completely undermine the mandatory renewable energy target - in fact, it wants to take it over to stop the states from achieving it - what are the members for Stirling and Capel going to do about it? What are they going to say to their friends in Canberra? Nothing. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Minister, it was extraordinary - they opposed the Mandurah rail line but they were outside the house today saying that the trains should run on solar power. What a joke! They opposed it! Liberals for greenhouse gases! Mr F.M. LOGAN : It is the fickle nature of politics. Those members were speaking to the populace on the front steps of Parliament House and told them one thing, knowing full well that they cannot introduce a mandatory renewable energy target because their friends in Canberra will take the power to do that off the states.
I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. I have previously referred to the Premier’s announcement of the climate change statement last April, and the government’s commitment to a 15 per cent renewable energy target by 2020, which will show a significant increase in the use of renewable energy. Yesterday, I released a discussion paper, which has new economic modelling, as part of a 15-week consultation process on how we actually achieve that 15 per cent target and whether it is possible to do that through a mandatory process and have a mandatory renewable energy target. As I explained outside Parliament just a minute ago to a very appreciative group of people, who were very supportive and gave me a huge round of applause, it is possible to reach that renewable energy target. Part of the consultation process involves determining how we will reach that target and how the mandatory renewable energy process will work. The report has highlighted that to achieve the 15 per cent target will require an investment of more than $1 billion and the equivalent of building effectively nine wind farms similar to the 80-megawatt Emu Downs Wind Farm in Cervantes or the equivalent of 30 wind farms the size of the Albany 22-megawatt wind farm. Therefore, a significant amount of infrastructure needs to be installed to meet that 15 per cent renewable energy target. It is achievable. As part of the release of the report, we are working out how we can achieve that target and whether we do so by mandating it. However, it could all be undone because the federal government, of course, has just introduced into the House of Representatives the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill, which may well undermine the whole process of mandatory energy reporting and renewable energy target setting in the states. I find this extraordinary for my colleagues on the other side of Parliament, because the member for Capel, the member for Stirling, and the member for Darling Range - although the member for Darling Range did not speak - were outside the house today giving their slavish commitment to a mandatory renewable energy target. In fact, they were talking about an alliance with the Greens (WA) and how they were right behind the Greens’ Western Australian renewable energy target. Given that the federal government is seeking to completely undermine the mandatory renewable energy target - in fact, it wants to take it over to stop the states from achieving it - what are the members for Stirling and Capel going to do about it? What are they going to say to their friends in Canberra? Nothing. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Minister, it was extraordinary - they opposed the Mandurah rail line but they were outside the house today saying that the trains should run on solar power. What a joke! They opposed it! Liberals for greenhouse gases! Mr F.M. LOGAN : It is the fickle nature of politics. Those members were speaking to the populace on the front steps of Parliament House and told them one thing, knowing full well that they cannot introduce a mandatory renewable energy target because their friends in Canberra will take the power to do that off the states.
Yesterday, I released a discussion paper, which has new economic modelling, as part of a 15-week consultation process on how we actually achieve that 15 per cent target and whether it is possible to do that through a mandatory process and have a mandatory renewable energy target. As I explained outside Parliament just a minute ago to a very appreciative group of people, who were very supportive and gave me a huge round of applause, it is possible to reach that renewable energy target. Part of the consultation process involves determining how we will reach that target and how the mandatory renewable energy process will work. The report has highlighted that to achieve the 15 per cent target will require an investment of more than $1 billion and the equivalent of building effectively nine wind farms similar to the 80-megawatt Emu Downs Wind Farm in Cervantes or the equivalent of 30 wind farms the size of the Albany 22-megawatt wind farm. Therefore, a significant amount of infrastructure needs to be installed to meet that 15 per cent renewable energy target. It is achievable. As part of the release of the report, we are working out how we can achieve that target and whether we do so by mandating it. However, it could all be undone because the federal government, of course, has just introduced into the House of Representatives the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill, which may well undermine the whole process of mandatory energy reporting and renewable energy target setting in the states. I find this extraordinary for my colleagues on the other side of Parliament, because the member for Capel, the member for Stirling, and the member for Darling Range - although the member for Darling Range did not speak - were outside the house today giving their slavish commitment to a mandatory renewable energy target. In fact, they were talking about an alliance with the Greens (WA) and how they were right behind the Greens’ Western Australian renewable energy target. Given that the federal government is seeking to completely undermine the mandatory renewable energy target - in fact, it wants to take it over to stop the states from achieving it - what are the members for Stirling and Capel going to do about it? What are they going to say to their friends in Canberra? Nothing. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Minister, it was extraordinary - they opposed the Mandurah rail line but they were outside the house today saying that the trains should run on solar power. What a joke! They opposed it! Liberals for greenhouse gases! Mr F.M. LOGAN : It is the fickle nature of politics. Those members were speaking to the populace on the front steps of Parliament House and told them one thing, knowing full well that they cannot introduce a mandatory renewable energy target because their friends in Canberra will take the power to do that off the states.
However, it could all be undone because the federal government, of course, has just introduced into the House of Representatives the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill, which may well undermine the whole process of mandatory energy reporting and renewable energy target setting in the states. I find this extraordinary for my colleagues on the other side of Parliament, because the member for Capel, the member for Stirling, and the member for Darling Range - although the member for Darling Range did not speak - were outside the house today giving their slavish commitment to a mandatory renewable energy target. In fact, they were talking about an alliance with the Greens (WA) and how they were right behind the Greens’ Western Australian renewable energy target. Given that the federal government is seeking to completely undermine the mandatory renewable energy target - in fact, it wants to take it over to stop the states from achieving it - what are the members for Stirling and Capel going to do about it? What are they going to say to their friends in Canberra? Nothing. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Minister, it was extraordinary - they opposed the Mandurah rail line but they were outside the house today saying that the trains should run on solar power. What a joke! They opposed it! Liberals for greenhouse gases! Mr F.M. LOGAN : It is the fickle nature of politics. Those members were speaking to the populace on the front steps of Parliament House and told them one thing, knowing full well that they cannot introduce a mandatory renewable energy target because their friends in Canberra will take the power to do that off the states.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : Minister, it was extraordinary - they opposed the Mandurah rail line but they were outside the house today saying that the trains should run on solar power. What a joke! They opposed it! Liberals for greenhouse gases! Mr F.M. LOGAN : It is the fickle nature of politics. Those members were speaking to the populace on the front steps of Parliament House and told them one thing, knowing full well that they cannot introduce a mandatory renewable energy target because their friends in Canberra will take the power to do that off the states.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : It is the fickle nature of politics. Those members were speaking to the populace on the front steps of Parliament House and told them one thing, knowing full well that they cannot introduce a mandatory renewable energy target because their friends in Canberra will take the power to do that off the states.
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