Greenpower

The Hon. HELEN WESTWOOD: My question is directed to the Minister for Energy. Will the Minister update the House on the Government's success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through GreenPower?

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: This is practical green politics in the real sense.

The Hon. Robyn Parker: We might not let you in.

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: You might not get in; but come and see me—if you factionally line up, you'll be right. As members on this side of the House are aware, for the last decade, the New South Wales Government, not the Commonwealth Government, has led the way on GreenPower initiatives.

[Interruption]

I know David and Charlie will take anyone in the party out in their western branches. Charlie would have him in there stacking them for the uglies. The New South Wales Government launched the National GreenPower Accreditation Program in 1997. GreenPower provides a guarantee to customers that their purchase of a GreenPower product supports new renewable energy development while reducing greenhouse gases. GreenPower's success, and New South Wales's leadership on this issue, has been recognised throughout Australia, and it has since been taken up by Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. This innovative—and, what is more, environmentally responsible government initiative—has also won gold at both the 2005 New South Wales Premier's Public Sector Awards—

Mr Ian Cohen: It sounds like an inside thing to me.

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: The member speaks too quickly. It has also won the national 2006 Banksia Awards climate category. The New South Wales Department of Water and Energy, as manager of the national GreenPower program, provides quarterly status reports to the market on the program. In addition, the department conducts an independent audit of participating retailers for compliance with the rules of the program. The Government has received the latest quarterly report prepared by the department, and I am very pleased to be able to provide the House with details of the main findings.

The report shows that customer participation across New South Wales in renewable energy through GreenPower in the three months to September has increased by 13,370, while nationally it has increased by 55,217. GreenPower sales in New South Wales for the quarter were a record at 103,919 megawatt hours. National GreenPower sales were also a record at 300,647 megawatt hours. The 2006 GreenPower Retailer Compliance Audit provides information on the compliance of retailers participating in the renewable energy program. This includes surrendering the correct number of Renewable Energy Certificates for customer sales and adhering to ethical marketing guidelines. The compliance audit shows that Victoria sold slightly more GreenPower than New South Wales in 2006—that is, 263,660 megawatt hours versus 254,326 megawatt hours. However, the good news is that the three quarterly status reports so far for 2007 indicate that New South Wales has sold more GreenPower than Victoria this year.

It indeed gives me great pleasure to be able to inform the House that 169,270 homes and 12,023 businesses in New South Wales are now voluntarily purchasing GreenPower—an environmentally responsible renewable energy source. New South Wales continues to lead the way in the amount of GreenPower purchased nationally, representing 34.6 per cent of total sales at the end of the third quarter of 2007. More importantly, the number of customers now opting for environmentally friendly GreenPower in New South Wales is nearly three times what it was in September 2006. Nationally the number has nearly doubled, and there are now more than 645,000 GreenPower customers across Australia.

These outstanding results in New South Wales can be attributed to the Iemma Government's delivery on commitments made in the New South Wales Greenhouse Plan. A key part of this plan was a major community awareness program to promote GreenPower between December 2006 and March 2007 through television, newspaper and Internet media. This initiative was timed to align with the introduction in January 2007 of new laws requiring retailers to offer at least 10 per cent GreenPower to new or moving residential customers. The aim of the campaign was to encourage the community and individuals to play their part in combating climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. [Time expired.]

The Hon. HELEN WESTWOOD: I ask a supplementary question. Will the Minister please elucidate his answer?

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: Since its inception in New South Wales, GreenPower has been responsible for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in Australia by around 4.5 million tonnes. That is equivalent to removing one million cars from our roads for a year. Unlike the late Howard Government, the Iemma Government has shown its bona fides when it comes to acting in the face of climate change. Although there is much more to do in this respect, the Government's GreenPower program has literally been a breath of fresh air for the people of New South Wales and the environment.