Louise Markus (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently attended the launch of the Light Years Ahead street lighting project, together with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Science, Karen Andrews. Also in attendance was the Mayor of Hawkesbury, Kim Ford, and representatives from some of the nine councils that will benefit from the project. This amazing project will see the replacement of approximately 13,000 old and high-emitting streetlights with new LED lights. The result will be a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 74,000 tonnes, and $21 million in energy savings for councils over 20 years, which is the life of the lights. I am delighted that the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains city councils have been included in this project and that the Australian coalition government was able to contribute $5 million towards the nine participating councils across the greater Western Sydney region. This funding accounts for two-thirds of the cost of the total project; participating councils and WSROC are contributing one-third of the project cost. Whilst beneficial for the moment, the cost-saving measures provided will be extremely advantageous to the community—less maintenance required by councils on lighting will free up more resources for the community, and brighter street lighting may also improve community safety. I congratulate WSROC and all those involved on their collaborative and cohesive approach, and on the initiative shown in bringing this amazing project together.