Lisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Hansard source

To give some context, I will just outline the fact that ARENA is relevant to this part of the committee stage because we are talking about renewable energy. My question to you, Senator Birmingham, is about your particular solar roofs program. So we are certainly talking about renewable energy, and ARENA is certainly a part of renewable energy, which this particular part of the committee stage is about. ARENA has played an incredible role when it comes to renewable energy. If there is one thing you would think we would still have some bipartisan support on, it would be in the renewable energy space. You would think that this government would still be supportive of ARENA but, no, we know that Senator Birmingham is very uncomfortable with any other senator in this place raising issues about the government's handling of ARENA, because we know that recently, in the MYEFO, there was a huge cut to ARENA of $450 million.

The TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN: Order! Senator Singh, I will just draw your attention to the fact that the question before the chair is opposition amendments (1) to (3) on sheet 7443.

Thank you, Chair. I am very well aware of that.

Honourable senators interjecting—

The TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN: Senators Collins, Birmingham and Fifield, I remind you that it is disorderly for you to interject.

Thank you, Mr Chairman. My questioning is in regard to the Million Solar Roofs program that this government has as part of its program that it has put forward. I am trying to give some context and to understand where the government is coming from with this solar roofs program. I was raising ARENA as part of that because the Australian Renewable Energy Agency is an agency that provides funding for new technologies, like solar projects. In fact, there were some 70 different projects in an array of different types of solar energy technology developments which I think is available on their website. It shows very much the way in which ARENA plays an active role in ensuring solar energy is part of the mix of renewable energies, which I think this government would be interested in because, in its Direct Action Plan, it has outlined that solar energy is part of that. It has outlined a solar roofs program. That is what I want to get to in this particular component of the committee stage.

I raised ARENA because I am concerned that nearly $450 million has been cut from it in MYEFO. What I want to know is: where is the funding going to come from for these programs that are being raised by the government in relation to its One Million Solar Roofs program? On the one hand, they want solar energy for renewal energy, and on the face of it that does sound positive for the country—a One Million Solar Roofs program sounds like a good thing; but, on the other hand, they have cut from it in MYEFO which is going to have a detrimental effect on how that program can be rolled out.

The public want to know, the opposition want to know, if the government is genuine in putting forward these bills in the area of renewal energy, particularly this solar roofs program. In contrast, I know what the expenditure was when we were in government, when the Labor government introduced its clean energy bills. I know the incredible investment that was made in ARENA that ensured ARENA could provide solar energy across the country and which led to so many incredible solar energy projects. I could list 70 from right across the country but I do not have the time.

If this government is genuine, it will explain how it can ensure its One Million Solar Roofs program will be rolled out when there has been a cut to MYEFO. On top of that, I would like to know if low-income households will be targeted at all, and exactly how the solar roofs program will be rolled out. Will there be some kind of copayment arrangement with the solar roofs program or will it just be a straight subsidy from government? How much abatement is expected from the program? One would expect there would be some analysis going on to see how the One Million Solar Roofs program could have some positive impact on abatement. Also, where will funding for the solar towns program come from? Again, it sounds like a good thing, a solar towns program, but where is that funding going to come from? This is especially when, I understand, there could be regional towns, suburbs and local government areas. It is not clear.