David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

During the last sittings the member for Calare asked questions about energy use at Parliament House. I can advise the member for Calare that the Department of Parliamentary Services now buys 25 per cent green energy for Parliament House, of which 15 per cent is hydro power and 10 per cent is from renewable resources, such as solar and wind. Since Parliament House was opened, energy consumption has been reduced significantly. Current figures are that electricity consumption has been reduced by around 40 per cent and gas consumption by around 73 per cent. The Department of Parliamentary Services is currently developing an energy strategy that will focus on new ways of reducing energy consumption in Parliament House, but I expect that it will also consider the options for increasing the proportion of energy derived from renewable resources.