ELECTRICITY (WIND POWER) AMENDMENT BILL

Introduction and First Reading

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (10:32): Obtained leave and introduced a bill for an act to amend the Electricity Act 1996. Read a first time.

Second Reading

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (10:32): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

This is not a complicated bill. It is more a common-sense bill and it factors into where we are going in Australia and, more particularly, in South Australia, with the generation of electricity. Currently, in the system we have the ability for a feed-in tariff on solar power. This bill is designed to accommodate the introduction of small wind turbines to be incorporated into the feed-in tariff as well. It is not a new idea. Freelite wind towers were a common source of electricity—32 volt generation—across the nation up until the time we had the 240 volt AC distribution network fed in. This has been brought about because of a need not to limit the feed-in tariff mechanism to solar power—photovoltaic cells.

Initially, I was approached by Mr Roy Ramage, the economic development officer with the Victor Harbor council in my electorate. He found a gentleman, Mr Mike Davison (an engineer, an inventor and a very clever fellow), who has developed a wind turbine and is somewhat frustrated by the fact that, although he can install it on his own property, there is no capacity to feed the electricity that he does not need back into the system in the same way as photovoltaic cells. In addition, he is also very keen—as are others, from the information that I have—to develop an industry in South Australia that can produce and build these small scale wind turbines and develop jobs and an industry for the state of South Australia. I think that is a good thing.

We have heard volumes from the government on sourcing energy and wind power. In another life I was involved in looking at wave power generated electricity. We have had the nuclear power debate, which goes on, but this is simply to harness an existing power that we have, that of the wind, which is in abundant supply down in my electorate, along much of the South Australian coastline and inland. One only has to go to the Mid North to see what is happening up there. The first wind farm in South Australia is in my electorate at Starfish Hill. It was an initiative, despite what the current government says, of the former Liberal government and came to fruition early in the term of the Rann government. I was down there for the opening of it, in a former life, and it has been a prototype for wind farms around South Australia, notwithstanding that it has had the odd issue, but I will not get into the that.

I would hope that the government would support this bill of mine, as it is in everybody's best interests. As I said before, we have plenty of sun to harvest and we only have to see the plethora of solar panels around South Australia, in my electorate and across the nation, to know that solar power has well and truly caught on. Solar powered hot water systems have been around for many years. It was a good thing for the state, for the people of South Australia and for jobs and industry to be able to produce wind power generators for putting in private homes.

Some of the objectives of this bill are: to promote efficiency and competition in the electricity supply industry; to promote and establish the maintenance of a safe and efficient system of electricity generation, transmission, distribution and supply; to establish and enforce proper standards of safety, reliability and quality in the electricity supply industry; to establish and enforce proper safety and technical standards for electrical installations; and to protect the interests of consumers of electricity.

If we are producing electricity through private residences, as it is aimed to do, any power produced over and above what is needed by the home can be put back into the grid, which is a good thing. I am not suggesting for one moment that people will make a fortune out of this system as that is not what it is designed for. It is simply designed to take the load off our current power system and to give people the opportunity to make a few dollars quietly and to produce some electricity rather than sucking out of power stations located around the nation.

I hope that the government will support this bill and, if possible, that the amended act could come into operation on 1 January next year. However, knowing this place, that is unlikely. I intend to speak with the relevant minister, and I hope that government members opposite might listen carefully, read this bill and see what it is really about. It does not take rocket science to work out that this is a commonsense and practical solution and, at the risk of repeating myself, I point out that wind power generators, the old free lights, that were around forever and a day—and you see them dotted around rural South Australia and across the rest of the country—were, apart from a generator, the only means of producing power for many. The free light towers fed into a series of batteries and, if you had a few days when the wind did not blow, you ran out of electricity and went back to candles. We do not want to go back to that. It might be possible to put in batteries, but that is not the idea of it.

The modern wind turbine generator I have seen is typically a vertical generator—a wonderful design that has been constructed by, in this case, Mr Mike Davidson. It is simple and, depending on its location, it does not need a great tower to be constructed. On the coast you would simply have it either on the roof of your house or on a tower to one side to catch the wind. It will produce considerable amounts of electricity to power your home.

Given that, in my view, the homes of today are nowhere near as efficient as they could be, for the life of me I do not know why we do not build homes that do not need air conditioning, that have wider eaves and verandas, and use a common-sense approach to construction, as they did 50 or 100 years ago. Those homes were far more suitable than the constructions that we have these days, which require all sorts of things to aid and abet the control of the climate in the house.

The defining change is the definition of 'qualifying generator'. Currently, the definition is associated with a small photovoltaic generator; however, the amendment would enforce a second definition to include a small wind turbine generator. The current provisions limit the scheme to photovoltaic systems with a capacity of up to 10kVA single phase. That, indeed, is what I am looking for with my amendment today. I think that, undoubtedly, this has to take place. I do not see any reason whatsoever why the government would not support this bill.

An honourable member interjecting:

Mr PENGILLY: Yes. As I say, I hope that the government will support it and that members of the government will lobby the ministers and the Premier on this bill. The Liberal Party will, indeed, support this amendment to the act, and we should be able to move on.

In closing, the best possible thing we can do is reduce the environmental impact of coal fired power stations and gas fired power stations. It would appear that this nation is not going to go into the business of nuclear power production for some considerable period of time, despite those in this chamber that support it.

So, if we are going to be stuck with our existing methods of power production, be it coal or gas, or whatever, this is a means of doing the right thing by the environment: it is a means of harnessing nature. It can work in tandem with photovoltaic cells, and it will create an industry. It could create a massive industry across the nation, and it could all come out of the electorate of Finniss, initially. What is really important is that we move on. With those few words I commend my bill the house and look forward to its rapid progress.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mrs Geraghty.