E&OE….
Topics: Renewable Energy Target
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
I'm joined by the Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt, who I think joins us at a school on the Mornington Peninsula. Minister good morning to you.
GREG HUNT:
That's exactly right Geoff. I'm actually calling from inside the year eight sustainability exhibition. They're looking at the problem of air quality and water quality in global cities. They've got all their models, the whole class is listening in, and it's the Peninsula School, Mount Eliza saying hello Western Australia.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
Okay which is great, because it means I can have a really good crack at you and you can't say anything back to me, because clearly these are impressionable young kids, so I've got a certain…
GREG HUNT:
Oh well I would have been constrained by the sensitivities of your listening audience in any event, but let's have some fun.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
Okay, well the question is, is this fun, or is this a very strange politically motivated move? Is your decision to create the position of a wind farm commissioner an environmental initiative, or is it a political bargaining chip?
GREG HUNT:
Well it's actually a social initiative and there are really three things that are happening over the coming week. One is the Renewable Energy Target legislation should, and I believe will go through the Senate, and that will take us from a national stated target of 20 per cent to 23.5 per cent renewable energy.
Two, it will come – and this is particularly as a result of discussions with the Senate crossbenchers – with a major increase in focus on large scale solar that I think overwhelmingly people will welcome. And three, there are some communities, and some people – and there are divisions here to be frank – who have concerns over the localised impacts of wind energy and they deserve a right to be heard. And this is where the role of a commissioner comes in. It's somebody who can hear their concerns and complaints and that's part of the democratic process.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
And when I say that it's a bargaining chip, this is your way of saying to the crossbenchers, look, back our changes to that Renewable Energy Target, and we'll give you someone to look into complaints about the impact of turbine noise. And those changes – you want the crossbenchers to support the inclusion of the burning of native timber, can you explain that to us?
GREG HUNT:
Sure, well this is actually a provision which was part of the Renewable Energy Target for ten years, including four years under the ALP. It was knocked out as they did a deal with the Greens on the carbon tax, but the ALP argued for it, the Tasmanian ALP leader wants it, and indeed Senator Wong, Penny Wong in the Senate argued for it only a few years ago.
It's to make sure that wood waste which would otherwise lie on the floor of the forest and either be burned or rot and produce methane is actually used to generate a productive outcome, and therefore reduces emissions. I think it's a practical, sensible thing, and it was part of the Renewable Energy Target, and it should be part of it going forward.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
And the way you get it through is by offering this to these crossbenchers. Now the Greens Leader Richard Di Natale says that you have caved in to the tin foil hat brigade, presumably Senators Leyonhjelm, Madigan, and Day.
GREG HUNT:
Hey look, you have people such as Senator Chris Back in Western Australia, a very strong Liberal who wants to make sure that the community has a voice. And I think it's very important that the community can have a voice.
The National Health and Medical Research Council has done their assessment and said they don't find any issues so far, but they have recommended that there should be additional science going forward, and so if the premier scientific agency in Australia says no problems detected so far but additional research required, I take both of those findings seriously.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
My guest is the Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt at 22 minutes to 9, 1300-22-720. Now for those who aren't aware what the phrase tin foil hat was originally coined for – people who wore tin foil hats wore it in the hope it would stop their minds being read by government, or alien life forms. It's come to describe all manner of conspiracy theorists.
It's interesting though, Simon Chapman, who as you know is something of a public health gladiator I think I described him as last week, said there have already been 25 reviews of these health issues, and he says why do you need more? And I guess it's a relevant question Minister when we know that Joe Hockey has called wind turbines offensive, the Prime Minister rode past one on Rottnest last week, declared them ugly and noisy and possibly harmful to health. Is it beginning to look like a rather sustained attack on a renewable energy industry?
GREG HUNT:
Well right now this week we're going to be increasing the stated national goal of 20 per cent renewable energy to 23.5 per cent. So, what we're doing there is very significant and we're increasing the focus on large-scale solar, which looking around the young people here in this room in their designs numerous- many of their models have solar built into them, and so people want to see solar.
And then the third thing is the National Health and Medical Research Council, the most distinguished, the most esteemed, the most significant and senior body in the country has said no problems detected to date, but there should be additional research going forward. And when the most senior and significant scientific agency in the country says that, I think we should probably follow their advice.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
Can you also look around at what the kids have done in the classroom to see if there are any spinning propellers from wind farms there?
GREG HUNT:
Look for the most part they haven't, but what they're doing is dealing with inner-urban problems in the city such as Mexico City, Kinshasa, they're looking at Lagos, they're looking at how to design for highly cramped conditions. So in that particular case they're not dealing with rural environments.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
You have told me about the enthusiasm this Government has supposedly for the expansion of solar, but you didn't actually answer my question when I said it is beginning to look to like a sustained attack on a, not the, a renewable energy industry. Can you explain that it's not?
GREG HUNT:
No it's not.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
Those investing in it, those working in it, those who support it say that it's been nothing but that for the last two weeks.
GREG HUNT:
Well no that's not true at all. What we're doing is taking our renewable energy goal from a 20 per cent national target to 23.5 per cent. I know that the renewable energy sector wants this, and so they want to see and expansion of practical renewable energy, and that's an exciting thing for the country.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
But my observation, and I'm talking about wind energy here, and the question has always been a sustained attack on a renewable energy industry here.
GREG HUNT:
Couldn't be more wrong.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
Well Andrew Bray, the Coordinator of the Australian Wind Alliance …
GREG HUNT:
I know that he's against everything we do.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
Well just let me finish. He said that this…
GREG HUNT:
Yes.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
… represents a new low in a relentless anti-renewable campaign, a taxpayer cash grab used to appoint a propaganda agent for the anti-wind brigade.
GREG HUNT:
Well that's just wrong.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
Why?
GREG HUNT:
Because I think- are you opposed to people having the capacity to express concern if you have people who come to you and they're deeply concerned, they have high anxiety, they have a degree of emotional suffering, to say you have no avenue for complaint I think is a pretty harsh thing to do.
So I think as a democracy we can have more renewable energy, we can have real investment, we can have kids such as these at the Peninsula School in Mt Eliza excited about their project, but we can also give people the chance to be heard. I'm not for closing down people's ability to be heard, I'm for giving them the opportunity to have their concerns aired. And if they stack up, we should hear.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
Okay.
GREG HUNT:
And if they don't stack up it's not a problem. And indeed the Clean Energy Council has been working with me on precisely this proposal, and they are extremely comfortable.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
Well that sounds very compassionate. So why don't we have a coal commissioner then? For the same purpose?
GREG HUNT:
Well we do. We have an Independent Expert Scientific Committee sponsored to the tune of $100 million by the Commonwealth which is dealing with coal and coal seam gas issues on multiple times the scale, multiple times the expenditure, and have massively greater resources.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
I just want to be very clear, but a coal commissioner whose job it is to look at the health impacts of coal in communities, is that this…
GREG HUNT:
Well this is what the Independent Expert Scientific Committee is doing. It already exists, and so what we're doing here is filling a gap. And so that's the situation. Now I don't want to be rude, I do have a large number of students who are looking increasingly restless, (inaudible) say good morning to Western Australia.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
I was just going to ask you whether they were smiling or looking a bit fidgety. Thank you for talking to us this morning.
GREG HUNT:
Thanks a lot, bye bye.
GEOFF HUTCHISON:
Greg Hunt is the Federal Environment Minister.
(ENDS)