Judith Troeth (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Wong, the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. I refer the minister to the Green Loans scheme and to Minister Garrett’s admission that he has slashed the program from 200,000 eligible homes to 75,000. I also refer the minister to the fact that, as at 18 August this year, no green loans had been approved. Can the minister now confirm that there will be no training of home sustainability assessors after Christmas this year and that, secondly, no further registrations for home sustainability assessors will be accepted beyond 21 January 2010? Can the minister tell the Senate how slashing this scheme helps Australia reduce its carbon emissions?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Certainly, the issue of green loans has been traversed—

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You do not have a brief.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Actually, I do not, but I will try to answer. I am hoping he will find one. Rather than saying that I do not know, I thought I would try, but thank you, Senator Abetz. Here we go

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

She has a brief.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There you go. It has been an issue that has been traversed at estimates on a number of occasions, Senator Troeth. I am advised that, under the Green Loans Program, the government is providing sustainability assessments for up to 360,000 households free of charge and loans of up to $10,000 with no interest payments for up to 75,000 households through participating financial institutions. The program commenced with a national rollout on 1 July 2009. I do have some information on the number of people registered for assessments. As at Friday, 20 November, I am advised that some 88,282 people had registered for assessments, 57,120 assessments have been completed and more assessments are being undertaken as the program is rolled out, and 32,100 assessment reports have been sent out. I am also advised that, as further reports are generated by assessors, they will be sent out to householders.

The advice I have is that verbal advice has been received from financial partners which indicates that, as at 20 November 2009, they had received over 900 applications for green loans. Obviously, the government does not approve green loans per se. Households with valid assessment reports are free to approach participating financial institutions to apply for loans provided they meet lending— (Time expired)

Judith Troeth (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Although I appreciate the minister’s honesty in acknowledging that she did not know much about the question, she did not, nevertheless, answer my first question in relation to the home sustainability assessors. I would like some further information from her about that. Secondly, as the start-up for this has been so slow, what confidence can the Australian public have that Green Start will be managed any better, given that we still do not have the details we need about the Green Loans scheme?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not sure I can provide much information today about assessors other than the information about the number of assessments that I have provided to the chamber. I will certainly seek advice from Minister Garrett and see if I can provide any further information. I think Senator Milne had previously asked me about delays in the assessment reports and there have been some issues about the software program used for the calculator. These were identified during the trial green loans rollout. There were changes made to the operation of the calculator, including the reporting function. These problems, I am advised, were fixed by mid-August and most assessments reports prepared in July, August, September and October have been sent out. I am also advised that the problems with the tools have not prevented any households from having home assessments undertaken by assessors. (Time expired)

Judith Troeth (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. This program has an expected finish date of 2013. Can the minister confirm that the government intends to abandon this Green Loans scheme either earlier or at that stage?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There was a reshaping of this program from the original budget program, which was $300 million over five years in the 2008-09 budget. Minister Garrett did announce changes to the program in the light of the assistance being provided through the government’s Energy Efficient Homes package, which was announced in the 2009-10 budget. So there was a very substantial program announcement in that budget, which is well known. The reshaped program is intended to deliver around 75,000 loans and there was a saving of some $125 million to the budget. However, the home sustainability assessments, I am advised, still remain at the estimated 360,000 households.