Renewable Energy Initiatives

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:12): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Since the federal government has cut billions of dollars from the renewable energy sector—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: How much?

The Hon. T.T. NGO: Billions—will the minister inform the chamber about the initiative of the state government in encouraging renewable energy investment in South Australia?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:12): What a fantastic question from a fantastic member. I thank him very much for his most important question. When it comes to tackling climate change, we need—and I say that collectively: all of us—to be acting with vision and leadership. We have an obligation to listen to the experts, the scientists, the researchers, and the academics in the field who are warning about the impact of climate change.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: You have a message.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Yes, I do have a message, sir, but it relates to a previous question. I might come to it at the end of this one.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: Misleading the house again. You should resign.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: And the Hon. Ms Lensink jumps to conclusions, as she is wont to, Mr President. I will correct her, too, in a period. Indeed, Mr President, I think the Hon. Ms Lensink was referring to you in her cross-chamber interjection. She probably should be remonstrated with over that, but I'll leave that to you to do.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: Throw me out, please.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Mr President, she can stay here and listen to my answer.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: No, no!

The PRESIDENT: Let us get back to order. The honourable minister has the floor. Fun is fun, but now we are going to get back to answering the question.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Thank you, Mr President. When it comes to tackling climate change, we need to act with vision and leadership. We have an obligation to listen to the experts, the scientists, the researchers and academics practising in the field who are warning about the impact of climate change. According to all the major research, the science on climate change is quite clear.

The intergovernmental panel on climate change has released the working group 2 report, 'Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability' and the working group 3, report, 'Mitigation of climate change'. These reports show that the effects of climate change are already being felt across the world and the world is ill-prepared to manage the risks.

They also show that greenhouse gases are growing globally at an increasing rate, and that immediate action is required if temperature rise is to be limited to two degrees Celsius by 2100. It is clear we have to act now, and that is why I am quite pleased that this parliament has now worked together to pass the Pastoral Land Management and Conservation (Renewable Energy) Amendment Bill 2014.

I thank all members from all sides of the chamber for their support during the debate on this bill, now an act. This bill will not only help us achieve our targets in the use of renewable energy and therefore put us in a better position to combat the effects of climate change into the future, but importantly this bill will also provide pastoral leaseholders with guaranteed income through periods of drought, making them less susceptible to climatic conditions.

Growing our use of renewable energy and reducing our emissions will have a direct and lasting benefit to our environment, our state's sustainability, and on our immediate and long-term economic prospects. It simply makes good sense. It makes so much sense that President Barack Obama has recently announced some of the most ambitious emission reduction targets that we have seen to date.

It was reported in June 2014 that the Obama administration will seek to cut greenhouse gas emissions from existing US power plants by 30 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030. I understand this is one of the most assertive actions and positively aggressive actions ever taken by the US to combat global warming. As expected, of course, there is opposition to the proposal. Change is very often more difficult than maintaining the status quo, but maintaining the status quo is not an option for us now. As the US President so rightly put it recently:

As President and as a parent, I refuse to condemn our children to a planet that's beyond fixing. The shift to a cleaner energy economy won't happen overnight and it will require tough choices along the way.

This is from a country that has faced the full brunt of the global financial crisis, a country whose unemployment rate is very high and whose federal debt is estimated to be around four times higher than Australia's, and yet President Obama is proposing to set state specific targets for carbon dioxide reductions and allow states to determine how they will achieve these targets.

This proposal has been called potentially one of the biggest steps any country has ever taken to confront climate change and we should probably compare that to our own federal government's policies on climate change and see how we might be involved at a higher level. Despite having one of the lowest percentages of public debt of all OECD countries, the Abbott government has repealed the national carbon pricing mechanism and replaced it with a direct action plan—a direct action plan that pays the polluters to pollute.

What is more, it will not increase the federal government's budget commitment to meet the stated 5 per cent target, and it does not stop there, of course. The Abbott government has also abolished the Climate Commission, the Australian Renewable Energy Authority, and defunded the Environmental Defenders Office.

The South Australian Labor government, of course, will not be deterred from our commitment in this regard because of the federal government's actions. Thanks to our policies, we lead the nation in addressing climate change and renewable energy investment and production, and also on waste management and water security. We were the first state in Australia to introduce dedicated climate change legislation. We released a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and began a climate change awareness campaign. As a result of these policies, South Australia's emissions are lower today than they were in the 1990s in spite of our economic and population growth. Quite clearly the increased use of renewable energy can and does go hand in hand with economic growth.

We also lead the nation in the uptake of alternative energy sources. Since coming to government in 2002, we have seen the amount of electricity generated from renewable energy increase from 0.8 per cent to around 39 per cent today. South Australia must build on its national and international reputation as a leader in the use of renewable energy. The Pastoral Land Management and Conservation (Renewable Energy) Amendment Bill 2014 will provide renewable energy investors access to 40 per cent of South Australia's land mass for this crown land subject to pastoral lease.

This will create additional positive incentives for renewable industry investment and allow us to improve on an already fantastic track record. South Australia reached its target of 20 per cent electricity generation from renewable sources by 2014, ahead of schedule, and so we committed to increasing this to 33 per cent by 2020. Yet again we overachieved and, as a result, in September of this year we committed to a further target of 50 per cent by 2025. This along with our investment target of $10 billion in low carbon generation by 2025 is evidence that the South Australian government recognises the economic development potential of this industry.

Since 2003 there has been $5.5 billion in investment in renewable energy, with some $2 billion, or 40 per cent, of that directed towards regional areas. As of March 2013, we have 725 watts of installed wind power per person compared to a national average of 163—that is 725 watts per person, compared to a national average of 163—and 205 watts of installed solar photovoltaic power per person compared to 98 nationally.

As I have said previously, so much can be achieved with vision and leadership—vision and leadership shown by Premier Weatherill and the state Labor government—and these achievements are not only good for the environment, they are also good for the economy. As the Obama administration is doing, we should all look at the enormous potential such changes can generate. The US Environmental Protection Authority asserts that the economic benefits generated by the policy would dwarf the cost—

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Point of order.

The PRESIDENT: Point of order, the Hon. Mr Dawkins.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Sir, I draw your attention to the fact that the minister has been on his feet answering this question for eight minutes.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Seven.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Eight minutes, and this is an abuse of question time.

The PRESIDENT: The minister has the right to answer the question in the way he sees fit, but I will draw to your attention that we could have got one more question in, which would have been good—but, go on, minister.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Thank you, Mr President. According to their calculations, household power bills will be 8 per cent cheaper, thanks to energy efficiency improvements, and the rule will accelerate. Locally the Clean Energy Council estimates that almost $3 billion has been invested into wind farms in South Australia and 38 per cent of Australia's total wind power capacity is generated right here in South Australia. Importantly this investment has led to the creation of approximately 800 direct jobs in South Australia, predominantly in regional areas.

It is clear to me that with vision and leadership we can create a more sustainable environment and maximise economic potential through policies that tackle climate change. The state Labor government understands this, the US President understands this; when will the federal Liberal government actually get it? In relation to a question I took on notice yesterday from the Hon. Tammy Franks, I am advised by my office that before question time ended yesterday we sent her, I guess it was an email or text message—

The Hon. T.A. Franks: It was an email.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: —it was an email, which linked to the citizens' jury report that she suggested that we had not tabled. Apparently it was tabled on 28 November 2013, is my advice, and so having given her that information now I will not be taking the question on notice.

The PRESIDENT: I now call upon members to give statements of matters of interest for five minutes each.