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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-10-19 Daily Xml
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RENEWABLE ENERGY

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (14:22): Can the Premier please update the house on the new renewable energy plan for South Australia and the state's complementary wind farm policy framework?

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:22): Do you know something? It's great to be in a place where we all, together, embrace each other with affection, and—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier will be heard in silence.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I am pleased to advise the house that today the state government is releasing a landmark renewable energy plan for South Australia. The plan will be complemented by a new policy and planning framework for wind farm developments, which is also being released today. South Australia's renewable energy plan provides an agenda for the future growth of our renewable energy sector. It builds on South Australia's leadership in hosting wind and geothermal energy investment and our pioneering support for household solar.

Our success has been driven by the developing policies that anticipate and generate renewable energy opportunities rather than waiting for them to arise. This proactive approach has worked well in developing renewable energy as an important sector in South Australia and therefore, forms the basis of our new plan.

Some of its key initiatives include drafting legislation to provide renewable energy investors with access to the 40 per cent of South Australia's land mass that is crown land subject to pastoral lease; calling for expressions of interest in the design and implementation of a concept model for a community owned solar project; and beginning consultations on setting a specified limit on carbon emissions for new electricity generation, which will effectively prevent investment in new coal-fired electricity generation. So, what it amounts to is a ban on the building of coal-fired power stations in the future. It will also provide $345,000 for further demonstration of concentrating solar powered technology of heat and electricity for a horticultural greenhouse in Port Augusta.

The plan is built around five key strategies for supporting renewable energy investment and generation in our state. These include providing quality information; having the most efficient and certain regulatory environment; selectively intervening to address market failures; government leadership by example; and positioning South Australia to take advantage of national policy settings, including the commonwealth's proposed Clean Energy Future Package.

The wind farm reforms also being released today are an important complement to South Australia's renewable energy plan. The new wind farm rules will take interim effect from today and will be subject to an eight-week consultation process. These reforms have been developed to achieve a balance, with an interest in ensuring that both local communities and industry are served by the overall package.

The wind farm planning framework will help to reinstate local councils as the key authority for assessing planning applications for wind farms. The reform policies combined with the process of implementing them will help to skew investment away from populated areas. They will set new restrictions for distances between wind farm developments and dwellings, while giving greater assurance and consistency to wind farm investors.

Uncertainty has recently plagued the wind industry, prompted by a court decision to uphold an objection to a new development on 'visual amenity' grounds and, of course, the Victorian government's crackdown on wind investment.

I am advised that an estimated $1.8 billion in wind farm investment is currently on hold in South Australia pending increased certainty, such as that being provided in these reforms. As more than half of Australia's wind farm investment in capacity terms is in South Australia, we have a national responsibility to take the lead in reforming policy to respect the legitimate interests of both the industry and local communities. The main elements of the package include:

1. amendment of council development plans to provide greater consistency for assessment of wind farm development applications;

2. requiring that developers manage the visual impact of their developments which includes requiring that turbines be located at least one kilometre from dwellings (unless both parties agree to a lesser distance);

3. removal of the capacity for appeal by third parties against proposals that are consistent with this approach and are located in sparsely populated zones (and that would be good to stop some of the nonsense that has been occurring, delaying tactics);

4. similarly, removal of third party appeals against proposals in sparsely populated zones where turbines are located more than two kilometres from the periphery of country towns.

So, we've got great 'cred' on this—54 per cent of the nation's wind power, as I think I may have said before in this house—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: —no, but with only 7.2 per cent of the population. These changes will be paired with efforts to strengthen local council decision making by restricting the access of wind farm developers to the state government Crown Development Assessment Process.

Mr Williams interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Interesting—$2 billion worth of investment—

The SPEAKER: Order, member for MacKillop!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: —and not one single wind turbine under their watch. We got off our backsides—all of that private sector money coming into our state, great for regional communities, including for the deputy leader's own electorate, but then when I was down there the last time he was a no-show when there was a local disaster. He was at the races in Darwin.

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, Deputy Leader!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Importantly, these reforms will reverse the current trend of wind farm developers seeking to have their projects assessed under the Crown Development process rather than under council processes, a trend which works against the interest of keeping councils involved in wind farm approvals. Projects already accepted for crown development assessment will not be affected. To support councils in their expanded role, the state government will provide $300,000 through RenewablesSA to councils that need additional help.

The government will also fund the establishment of an industry liaison manager to work as a sounding board for communities in the Mid North. The Clean Energy Council has estimated that nearly—and this is something for the deputy leader, when he is not reading James Thurber and thinking that Stephen McBride is somehow analogous to Nelson Mandela—$2.8 billion has been invested in wind power in South Australia, creating 806 direct jobs and 2,417 indirect jobs.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: The Renewable Energy Plan and wind farm planning framework being released today will build on South Australia's current leadership role in hosting renewable energy investments. I commend this to the house, and I table this next document.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: There will never be a photo of you inside the cover.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Question time will last for one hour today. If we go over and we have not answered the questions, then you will not get the opportunity. I am not extending question time today. The Leader of the Opposition.

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