John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Swan—not me, I hope. I sometimes do not hear these things, Mr Speaker. Let me just remind the House that, amongst the many things that we have done, we have a commitment to low emissions technology that has been demonstrated through the $500 million Low Emissions Technology Demonstration Fund, the $75 million Solar Cities program and the $100 million investment in the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate. We have already announced a large number of the allocations. We have announced three solar cities—Adelaide, Townsville and Blacktown—and they will install some 3,000 photovoltaic panels. They will assist more than 230,000 residents and businesses in learning how to reduce their energy use and to save money. They will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 64,000 tonnes each year and save their communities $9 million a year in electricity bills.

We have made a massive investment in the water fund to the tune of $2 billion. A lot of that money has already been allocated, and the member for Wentworth is in discussion with the states about some of the larger projects that they have put forward. Water is the great environmental challenge that this country has, and we are examining those projects. I welcome the release of the State of the environment report because it has given me an opportunity, courtesy of questions asked by the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Oxley, to tell the House and, through the House, the Australian people of the magnificent more than $10 billion program this government has had over the last five years. It is a figure that I do not think many Australians would be conscious of, but over the last five years we have invested $10.5 billion in environmental projects. I warmly thank the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Oxley for the opportunity to remind the Australian people of that achievement.

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