Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

the member for Flinders, who is making interjections across the chamber, jumped out of an aeroplane to tell us how the solar industry was in free fall. Within days, we found that the figures on solar applications for the PVs were at record highs. Memo to the member for Flinders: look before you leap.

If we look at the coalition policy approach in this area, we can see that there is scant evidence that they recognise the importance of the scale of the challenge, or the role that constructive programs and a comprehensive strategy can bring into play. Next month, I am pleased to say, we will start seeing the first energy rating labels appear on televisions, which are one of the fastest growing sources of household energy use. Households will soon be able to identify cost-saving, superefficient appliances through new 10-star labels. Last Sunday, in Melbourne, I was pleased to announce, with the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, the Green Precincts Fund—a commitment of some $15 million to support at least 10 high-profile energy and water saving projects around Australia. We have launched Green Precincts—

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