Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I confess I invited the interjection. I am only disappointed it was as unimpressive as it was. Let me answer the question, because I invited it. The solar rebate was introduced by us and it was increased to $8,000. The Prime Minister of the day said that it would be an uncapped system. We wanted it to be successful. The then opposition promised that they would maintain it. Once it achieved exactly what we set out for it to do, to expand the capacity of ordinary Australians to access solar energy, it was axed overnight in the 2008 budget by the minister for the environment the Hon. Peter Garrett, in breach of his own election promise and the Prime Minister’s election promise.

It then happened a second time. The means testing was put in place in 2008; in 2009 – 2½ weeks ago – the program was axed immediately. Four weeks after the Budget Papers promised that it would be continued, it was axed. Three days ago we saw that the remote renewable power generation program, or the remote solar program, was axed retrospectively. The distributors received an email at 8.33 am saying that as of 8.30 that morning this program had been axed. The ability of people in indigenous communities, the ability of people in the member for Solomon’s home territory of the Northern Territory, to access solar power in remote communities was destroyed overnight. It was destroyed at the same moment. That is profound; it is unquestionable. I have three solar groups in my office today who have been devastated as a result of this decision and I have had approaches from communities throughout Australia who have been profoundly disappointed at the loss of this benefit.

Having said that, we also see that the renewable energy target which would provide some means of responding to this has not even been brought before the House of Representatives for debate even though the replacement was due on 1 July. Today, the last day of sitting for the financial year, a year after that legislation was due, finally that bill is listed. We would have to sit until 2 am tonight until it could be brought on. No debate, no barriers—we had offered to pass this legislation. We had offered to bring it forward. At any time over the last year it could have been listed and we would have found a way to pass it.

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