Snowtown Wind Farm

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:04): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Will the minister inform the chamber about the recent opening of stage 2 of the Snowtown wind farm?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:04): I thank the honourable member for his most excellent question. I think many of us know (and most of us in this chamber know) that the future, in terms of energy for this country, and the world, really, sits with renewable energy. If there were still doubts about this they should now well and truly be dispelled after the release of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Synthesis Report, released in early November.

This report is recognised as the most comprehensive and robust assessment ever produced and has brought together findings from climate working groups from around the world. The message is quite unequivocal: with greenhouse gas emissions at an 800,000-year high, and carbon emissions rising to record levels, governments must act now to reverse the impacts of climate change. That includes doing everything in our power to move to renewable energies.

In light of this, it was even timelier to join the Premier and minister Brock, and many government and business representatives, on Sunday 2 November for the official opening of stage 2 of Snowtown's wind farm. It was a great opportunity to celebrate the transformation of a regional community that has fully embraced this new industry, and this stage 2 development has more than tripled the capacity of the Snowtown wind farm and represents an additional investment of $450 million, I am told. It involves 90 new Siemens turbines that will increase the Snowtown wind farm capacity from 99 megawatts to 369. That equates to 1,350 gigawatt hours per year—enough to power 230,000 homes.

This makes the Snowtown wind farm our state's largest wind farm, covering an area exceeding 30 kilometres, and South Australia leads the nation, of course, when it comes to renewable energy. We generate around 1,473 megawatts, or roughly 43 per cent of the nation's installed capacity. We are national leaders in the take-up of domestic rooftop solar photovoltaic, with 565 megawatts installed capacity, I am advised. We have achieved this position because we are not being put off by the federal government's attitude towards renewables. We are not afraid to set ourselves ambitious targets—aspirational targets—and to strive towards them.

We have put in place the most supportive regulatory frameworks for renewable energy development in this country. We have also put in place innovative legislation—the first of its type in Australia—that is designed to expedite access (as honourable members well remember) to pastoral land for solar energy projects. And all this sends a very strong message to industry that South Australia is a competitive place to invest and a competitive place to do business.

This strategy has clearly paid off for us, attracting $5.5 billion in capital investment in renewable energy, with around 40 per cent of that directed towards the regional areas of our state. It is these regional communities, such as Snowtown, that are now reaping the rewards. The Snowtown wind farm has completely transformed the local community. It has directly supported more than 350 jobs since 2008, I am advised, and it was clear that during the official opening of stage 2 the community had embraced this project with open arms.

The opening celebration was a family and community event that included stalls displaying the local produce, activities for young and old, and a children's art competition. There is no doubt that the wind farm has become very much a landmark for the Snowtown community and the Mid North.

Credit must go to the developer, Trustpower, for the way it has engaged with the local community. Throughout all stages of the project, Trustpower has involved the local community in its decision-making and demonstrated a high regard for both the local environment and Aboriginal heritage, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Trustpower for this very innovative approach to community engagement. Trustpower has adopted a similar approach to its proposed $700 million Palmer wind farm project north-west of Mannum that is expected to create 250 to 300 construction jobs and 12 to 15 ongoing operational and maintenance jobs.

The Palmer project, as well as the $1.5 billion Ceres wind farm proposed for the Yorke Peninsula, and eight other wind farm projects in the pipeline for our state, could all, of course, be jeopardised unless the Australian Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme is maintained. It is imperative that the federal government maintains the RET, and I urge all South Australians and all members of parliament to stand up and fight for this. It is necessary for the health of our communities and environment; it is necessary for the health of our economy and those regional communities that rely on the environment. As Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, said at the release of the recent IPCC report:

The reality of climate change is undeniable, and cannot be simply wished away by politicians who lack the courage to confront the scientific evidence.

The state government has that courage. The Snowtown community has shown that it has that courage and so has Trustpower and its investors. What I would like to know is whether the state Liberal Party also has that courage, and will they stand with us against the federal government and support the RET being maintained?