John Madigan (Victoria, Democratic Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) the Assistant Director of Regional Projects for the Department of Planning and Community Development in Victoria has confirmed That the Waubra Wind Farm, which has been under review since it commenced in 2009, has not been signed off on any noise compliance by the Planning Minister, Mr Matthew Guy, therefore making it non compliant,

(ii) to obtain accreditation from the Clean Energy Regulator, the Waubra Wind Farm must provide evidence that it is compliant with all state permit requirements, and

(iii) as a result of having been granted Clean Energy Regulator accreditation of its Waubra Wind Farm, Acciona has received tens of millions of dollars in Renewable Energy Certificates (REC); and

(b) calls on the Government to:

(i) order a review of the accreditation process, and a review of the accreditation of all other wind farms that have been accredited under the same regulations as the Waubra Wind Farm, and

(ii) order an investigation of how many REC have been raised by non compliant power stations and traded into REC markets as well as the extent to which REC markets and REC market prices may have been distorted by this activity.

Mr President, I seek leave to make a brief statement.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

John Madigan (Victoria, Democratic Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Since 2009, Acciona's Waubra wind farm in Victoria has been operating as a Clean Energy Regulator accredited energy supplier, allowing it to receive tens of millions of dollars in renewable energy certificates. But to be accredited you must prove that you are compliant and to be compliant you must supply a certificate of compliance from the relevant state authority. In Victoria, that authority is the Department of Planning and Community Development. That department has advised my office that the Waubra wind farm has not been signed off by the minister on any noise compliance, despite operating for 3½ years. As Acciona has no certificate of compliance it cannot be compliant, cannot qualify for accreditation by the CER and cannot qualify to receive tens of millions of dollars of RECs that it has received to date.

If this is the standard of the accreditation process where energy providers can gain access to billions of dollars of RECs without having to prove compliance then nothing short of a review of the entire accreditation process and investigation into the ease with which these RECs are distributed will satisfy the Australian public.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question now is that the motion moved by Senator Madigan be agreed to.