Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

That is right. That is what I am speaking about at this point in time and, accordingly, I move Greens amendments (1) and (5) to (7):

(1)    Clause 3, page 2 (lines 4 to 17), omit the clause, substitute:

3  Object

        (1)    The objects of this Act are to:

             (a)    facilitate the establishment of a national energy efficiency target; and

             (b)    promote the identification and implementation of measures to reduce energy consumption through energy efficiency.

        (2)    In order to achieve its objects, this Act:

             (a)    requires the Minister to establish a taskforce of experts to report on the implementation of a national energy efficiency target; and

             (b)    requires corporations to undertake an assessment of their energy efficiency opportunities to a minimum standard in order to improve the way in which those opportunities are identified and evaluated; and

             (c)    requires corporations to publicly report on the outcomes of that assessment in order to demonstrate to the community that those businesses are effectively managing their energy; and

             (d)    requires corporations to implement identified energy efficiency measures contained in their energy assessment; and

             (e)    establishes an Energy Savings Fund.

(5)   Page 15 (after line 24), after Part 6, insert:

Part 6A—Implementation of identified energy efficiency measures

20A  Requirement to implement identified energy efficiency measures

        (1)    A registered corporation required to lodge an assessment plan in accordance with Part 5 must identify as part of the plan a program of energy saving capital improvements (the energy audit) which have a payback period specified in subsection (5).

        (2)    A portion of the saving identified in the energy audit required by subsection (1) must be made within three years from the commencement of this Act.

        (3)    The regulations shall include provision for a registered corporation to delay the implementation of an energy audit lodged under subsection (1) if the registered corporation provides satisfactory evidence of an intention to implement the energy audit.

        (4)    A registered corporation must provide an annual summary of the implementation of the energy audit of the previous year and a summary of the proposed implementation of the energy audit for the following year for the register to be maintained by the Secretary in accordance with section 12.

        (5)    The regulations must set a sliding scale to progressively lower the duration of the energy payback period from not more than two years in the financial years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 to not more than four years by the financial years 2010-2011 and 2011-2012.

(6)   Page 29 (after line 28), at the end of Part 8, add:

Division 7—Energy Efficiency Target Taskforce

38A  Establishment of Energy Efficiency Target Taskforce

The Minister must before the expiration of 3 months after the commencement of this Act establish an Energy Efficiency Target Taskforce to inquire into and report on the establishment of a national energy efficiency target.

38B  Membership

The Minister will appoint 4 members to the Energy Efficiency Target Taskforce with  the following expertise:

             (a)    one member representing industry;

             (b)    one member representing conservation interests;

             (c)    one member representing the Commonwealth who shall convene and chair the taskforce;

             (d)    one member with expertise and qualifications in energy conservation.

38C  Report of the Energy Efficiency Target Taskforce

        (1)    The Taskforce is to report to the Minister within 18 months of the commencement of this Act.

        (2)    The Minister must cause a copy of the report of the Taskforce to be tabled in each House of Parliament within 5 sitting days of receiving it.

(7)   Page 29 (after line 28), after Part 8, insert:

Part 8A—Energy Savings Fund

38D  Establishment of Energy Savings Fund

The Energy Savings Fund is established by this section.

38E  Purposes of Energy Savings Fund

        (1)    The purposes of the Energy Savings Fund (the Fund) are to provide funding:

             (a)    to encourage energy savings; and

             (b)    to address peak demand for energy; and

             (c)    to stimulate investment in innovative energy savings measures; and

             (d)    to increase public awareness and acceptance of the importance of energy savings measures; and

             (e)    to encourage cost effective energy savings measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions arising from the use of energy; and

              (f)    to provide funding for contributions made by the Commonwealth for the purposes of national energy regulation.

        (2)    It is not a purpose of the Fund to provide funding for investment in low emission power generation, or any other kind of power generation, where the primary purpose of the generation is to generate energy for sale into the power grid.

38F  Payments into Energy Savings Fund

There is payable into the Fund:

             (a)    all money received from contributions required to be made to the Fund under section 38H; and

             (b)    all money appropriated by Parliament for the purposes of the Fund; and

             (c)    the proceeds of the investment of money in the Fund.

38G  Payments out of Energy Savings Fund

        (1)    There is payable from the Energy Savings Fund any money:

             (a)    approved by the Minister to fund all or any part of the cost of any energy savings measure that the Minister is satisfied promotes a purpose referred to in subsection 38E(1); and

             (b)    approved by the Minister to fund all or any part of the contributions that the Commonwealth is required to make for the purposes of national energy regulation; and

             (c)    required to meet administrative expenses related to the Fund; and

             (d)    required to meet administrative expenses of the Minister in connection with the Minister’s functions under this Act.

        (2)    In exercising the Minister’s functions under paragraph (1)(a) (but without limiting the generality of that paragraph), the Minister may:

             (a)    approve selection criteria from time to time to be applied to determine the kinds of energy savings measures that will be eligible for funding from the Fund; and

             (b)    require a person or body seeking funding for an energy savings measure to do either or both of the following as a precondition to applying for or obtaining funding:

                   (i)    to submit an energy savings action plan that includes details about the measure;

                  (ii)    to provide any other information requested by the Minister about the measure; and

             (c)    obtain and have regard to any advice, recommendations or other information provided to the Minister by a committee appointed by the Minister, or by any other person or body that the Minister considers relevant.

38H  Minister may require registered corporations to make contributions

        (1)    The Minister may by regulation require registered corporations to make an annual contribution for a specified financial year to the Fund.

        (2)    A regulation made for the purposes of subsection (1):

             (a)    must specify the annual contributions payable by each registered corporation to which it applies (being an amount that does not exceed the maximum amount, if any, prescribed by the regulations); and

             (b)    may specify that an annual contribution may be paid by instalments during the financial year to which the regulation applies; and

             (c)    must specify the time or, in the case of an annual contribution that is payable by instalments, the times at which any contribution required under the regulation is to be made; and

             (d)    may be made before or within the first 3 months of the financial year to which it relates.

The proposal is to set up a task force in parallel with the bill in order to work towards an energy efficiency target and to put in place an energy savings fund.