Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency) Share this | Hansard source

In relation to the solar hot-water rebate, which was introduced in 2007, it is material to point out that the government has now provided over $320 million to help more than 258,000 Australian households replace older, higher emissions related hot-water systems with renewable, lower emissions alternatives. As at 31 May this year, an additional $68 million had been spent on rebates above the budget for the program announced in 2007, and an additional 33,000 systems have been installed above the target announced in 2007. It has been a program with a significant degree of funding expended on it over five years and with a significant number of systems installed—over a quarter of a million. The program has not been closed early; it was always designed to be closed in 2012, and that is what the government has done. We have obviously consulted widely in the industry and with associated stakeholder groups about this issue, but I emphasise that it was always scheduled to end on 30 June this year.

Mr Hunt interjecting—

On 6 June, just a couple of weeks ago, the government announced through Parliamentary Secretary Dreyfus that the $44.7 million that I think the member for Flinders is referring to, which remained from the Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme, will be used to support two national programs assisting local communities and low-income families to become more energy efficient. This will involve a new $24 million Local Government Energy Efficiency Program, established to help councils install solar or heat-pump hot-water systems in community facilities, and an extra $20.7 million under the Home Energy Saver Scheme, to support low-income households to invest in a bigger range of energy-efficient whitegoods and heating and cooling systems. This does not add to the budget in the way that was implied by the member for Flinders; this is an underspend from the program.

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