Welcome to the July Newsletter. There has been a lot going on nationally and locally in Wentworth since our last edition. In this edition read about:
Australian Emissions Trading Scheme announced $1000 solar hot water rebate available to households Tanks and solar hot water systems for all schools Wentworth's Most Loved Tree St Vincents gets a new MRI Sydney Opera House receives World Heritage Listing North Bondi Surf Club receives federal government grant Bondi Beach's Campbell Parade gets a makeover Major recycling projects in Geelong and Adelaide Dampier Archipelago joins National Heritage List Whale seismic Guidelines released World Ocean Day NAIDOC Australian Emissions Trading Scheme Announced
Yesterday the Prime Minister has announced further action on climate change. We will proceed to implement the recommendations of the Emissions Trading Task Group and establish an emissions trading scheme (ETS) in Australia which will be the world’s most comprehensive, encompassing more than 80% of all of Australia’s emissions outside of agriculture. The ETS will mean that emitters of CO2 will need to acquire a permit for every tonne of CO2 emitted. Over time these permits will become more expensive as the amount of CO2 emissions permitted under the scheme is ratcheted down. This will provide the economic incentive to adopt more efficient ways of using energy and to adopt low emission energy sources. Emissions trading is more efficient than a carbon tax, because under an ETS those firms who can reduce emissions more cheaply can sell their excess permits to firms whose costs of emission reduction are higher – this leads to least cost abatement. It is important to remember that decarbonising Australia and the whole world’s energy supplies is going to be a very expensive exercise and we need market mechanisms to ensure that this happens in the most efficient and effective manner. An ETS allows the market to work.
The Government's plan has been criticised because a target for CO2 reduction has not yet been set. This criticism is misconceived. Australia does have an emissions target: 108% of 1990 levels by 2008-2012. That is our Kyoto target and we are on track to meet it. Most comparable countries will miss their targets, many by a very wide margin.
The new ETS is designed to start in 2011 and deal with our post-Kyoto emission reductions. The ETS will involve a long term aspirational target, say to 2050, and then intermediate targets which will be set along the long term trajectory but will be carefully calibrated to take into account economic impacts, cost of technology and action in competitive countries, among other factors. It is these intermediate targets, say out to 2020, which are of vital importance to business and it is hardly credible to suggest that they should be set four years before the scheme is due to commence and prior to the economic modelling and planning which will enable us justify the targets themselves and quantify the economic impacts. Plucking numbers out of the air is no substitute for responsible economic management.
In terms of the long term global target, there are a number of discussions later this year leading up to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Bali which are focussed on precisely this issue. If a long term global target is based on the climate change science it will be one which will aim by 2050 for a massive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. My own view is that these long term, massive reductions will mean, in practical terms, that by mid century all or almost all of the world's electricity and most of its transport energy will have to come from zero or near zero emission sources. That would mean, for example, that by mid century there would be no power stations emitting CO2. They would either be inherently low emission technologies (hydro, geothermal, wind, solar, nuclear etc) or they would be fossil fuel burning (coal, gas) with the CO2 captured and then stored below the ground (carbon capture and storage or CCS).
For more on how the Australian ETS will be designed and operate click here.
$1,000 Solar Hot Water Rebate Available to Households
Water heating is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from the average Australian home representing about 28% of Australian household emissions (not including transport). The biggest CO2 culprit is the electric storage hot water system – installed in around 57% of Australian households. We are announcing today a Solar Hot Water Rebate of $1000 per system. It is available to households with income of less than $100,000 p.a. who are replacing an existing electric storage hot water system. The solar hot water system must be one which qualifies for at least 20 renewable energy certificates under the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target. The programme runs until 31 March 2012 and we will invest $252 million with the aim of supporting 225,000 replacements. For more information on the programme click here. Tanks and solar hot water systems for all schools
We are also announcing today a new Green Voucher for schools. Every school in Australia will be entitled to $50,000 for the purpose of installing a rainwater tank or tanks of 10,000 litres or more and/or a solar hot water system. This will include the cost of a pump, plumbing and other installation costs. Schools will be able to register online. All the school needs to do after registering is secure a firm quote and the funds will be made available from my Department. If a school has already received a grant under the Community Water Grants programme for a water tank, the value of the Green Voucher is reduced by the amount of money already received. So, for example, if a school has received $20,000 already for a water tank, its Green Voucher is worth $30,000. Schools that have applied through the current round of Community Water Grants can either withdraw their application or continue with it and, if it is granted, offset the amount granted under Community Water Grants against the value of the Green Voucher. This is a great initiative of which I am very proud. It means that before too long every single school in Australia should have a rainwater tank and a solar hot water system. This will demonstrate sustainable energy and water use to Australian children and lay even stronger foundations for a more sustainable, environmentally responsible future for our country.
For more information click here Wentworth's Most Loved Tree Competition
National Tree Day is Australia’s biggest tree-planting event. Since Tree Day began in 1996, over 10.5 million native trees and shrubs have been planted by more than one million volunteers.
School Tree Day falls on Friday 27 July and National Tree Day on Sunday 29 July. To celebrate, we are holding a competition to discover Wentworth’s most loved tree.
All you need to do is register the tree you love the most in Wentworth and send us a photo or concise description as to its location. A copse of trees as well as individual trees are eligible for entry. Then, in 25 words or less, explain what you love most about your favourite tree. Up to three nominators of winning trees will be chosen to win a Wollemi sapling.
Wentworth is full of both magnificently old and young trees, so whether it is a tree in your backyard or local park, join us in the search for Wentworth’s most loved tree!
To enter the competition click here
New MRI for St Vincents Hospital It was great to be at St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst with my colleague, Health Minister Tony Abbott to launch their state-of-the-art $4 million MRI scanner, the most modern of its kind. I had lobbied Tony to grant St Vincent's the MRI licence and I was as delighted as he was when he made the announcement. The MRI has already proved its worth, one patient was there who, thanks to the detailed imaging provided by the MRI, had been spared surgery for a brain tumour which the St Vincents MRI had shown was not a tumour at all! See photos in photo gallery.
Sydney Opera House receives World Heritage Listing
One of Australia’s most recognisable symbols, the Sydney Opera House, was honoured by UNESCO with a World Heritage Listing, putting it in the company of such timeless treasures as the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal and the Great Barrier Reef.
World Heritage Listing is certainly not awarded lightly. Each site on the list is there because it has been judged the most outstanding example of its type. Whilst the building initially divided the public over to its revolutionary design concept, architect Jørn Utzon’s legacy carries on as the Sydney Opera House continues to fascinate, excite and attract people from all over the world.
The internationally renowned building clearly deserves its place on the List, a crown in the jewel of our stunning harbour city.
The Opera House joins 16 other Australian World Heritage properties and the announcement comes as the nation celebrates its 25th anniversary of its first World Heritage Listing. For the full release and photos click here
North Bondi Surf Club Receives $1.689m from Federal Government
My first visits to North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club were as a small boy with my father Bruce, so it was a very special pleasure to attend the Club’s Presentation Night a few weeks ago. It was wonderful to have the Prime Minister John Howard there to present the Bronze Medallions and announce the Australian Government contribution of $1.689 million to the building project.
North Bondi was very much a part of my childhood. Later I would do my bronze and instructor’s medallion qualifications there. The Surf Life Saving Club’s premises are in need of renovation so I am excited that this contribution will help with the alterations to provide improved access to the beach, refurbish the first aid facility and provide new community training areas. Photos from the evening can be found here
Bondi Beach Makeover Funded by $2M Australian Government Grant
While we’re on the subject of world-famous Sydney attractions, Waverley Council has finally met the challenge to help fund a major upgrade of Campbell Parade, the commercial face of world-famous Bondi Beach. The Federal Government committed $2 million back in September 2004 and the Council has been able to come up with the $1 million balance needed to provide a much-needed makeover to this iconic Australian beach.
The upgrade plans, due to be completed by November, will not only ensure that Campbell Parade can cope with increasing traffic but also improve the experience for locals and tourists alike.
The Australian Government’s funding will be used to reconstruct and resurface the roadway and install new kerbing as well as a new ‘water saving urban design’ drainage system. Better lighting will also help with driver visibility and pedestrian safety at night.
The works will cost $3.1 million and Waverley Council will be responsible for implementing the plans, meeting the costs of landscaping the median footpath paving and improving access to the beachside parklands.
I am pleased that some of the money will also be directed towards special drainage pits to trap stormwater runoff from the road for irrigating trees in beachside parklands.
Australian Government Funds Major Water Recycling Project in Geelong and Adelaide
I recently announced the contribution of more than $12.5 million from the Australian Government Water Fund to a major water recycling project in Geelong, Victoria.
This is a project that the Victorian Government nominated under the Prime Minister’s invitation to the states and territories to nominate water projects for funding under the Water Smart Australia programme.
Shell Australia has also committed $26.25 million to this $63.75 million project and I call on the Victorian Government and Barwon Water to match the Australian Government’s contribution.
The water reclamation plant will save 2,000 megalitres of drinking water a year, reduce wastewater discharge through the Back Rock ocean outfall by 1,000 megalitres a year and the reduction of wastewater discharge to Corio Bay from the Shell refinery by 1000 megalitres a year.
Such a move demonstrates how a water conservation program can be merged with a major industry water recycling scheme and highlights the fact that a water authority can successfully partner with the private sector to invest in a water reclamation plant. We also announced a $34.5 million project to help waterproof Southern Adelaide by upgrading wastewater treatment plants and using more of the recycled water for agricultural purposes. For more details click here . Dampier Archipelago joins National Heritage List
The renowned rock art of Western Australia’s Dampier Archipelago including the Burrup Peninsula has been included in the National Heritage List. The 241 square kilometre listed area is 99% of the land area where National Heritage values occur. The Archipelago was formed around 8,000 years ago with underlying rocks amongst the oldest on earth, formed in the Archaean period more than 2,400 million years ago.
Rock engravings are thought to number in the hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, with individual sites like Skew Valley in the Southern Burrup containing over 20,000 individual engravings.
The listing of the Burrup is a clear demonstration of how environment and heritage protection can be balanced with economic and industry development. The Dampier Archipelago is home to Australia’s second largest tonnage port supports thousands of jobs and contains in excess of $35 billion in industrial developments.
The two and a half year assessment of the Dampier Archipelago and Burrup Peninsula by the Australian Heritage Council was a comprehensive one and included extensive research, stakeholder consultation and opportunity for public comment.
The Australian Government’s National Heritage List recognises and protects our most valued natural, Indigenous and historic heritage places. More information can be found here
Whale seismic guidelines Released for Public Comment
New guidelines released this week have revised parameters for minimising the risks to whales from sounds generated by seismic survey operators searching for new oil and gas fields.
This is an important step, developed with the involvement of the oil and gas industry, conservation groups and Australia’s best whale research scientists. Australia continues to be a world leader in whale protection and research and this policy represents global best practice in minimising the potential impacts of seismic survey activities on whales. Seismic operations will now have to shut down if whales are within 2km of a survey vessel.
Years of experience with and research on whales has demonstrated how well the oil and gas industry has managed the risk of seismic activity on whales.
I hope that these revised guidelines will encourage further community, industry and expert involvement through the public comment process.
The public has the opportunity to provide comments until COB Friday, 31 August 2007.
UN conference bans whaling – Australia celebrates World Ocean Day
The ban on commercial whaling achieved at last month’s United Nations wildlife conference is one that we, together with our anti-whaling partners, will work hard to see locked in permanently. Australia has long held a strong anti-whaling position and through the International Whaling Commission we can prevent the resumption of this global whale slaughter.
We will also continue to work to stop the ‘so-called’ scientific whaling of Japan and continue to block the introduction of commercial whaling by stealth through ‘coastal whaling’ - Japan's latest idea to get around the global ban on commercial whaling.
In fact one of the biggest and most successful scientific surveys on whales was conducted recently by Australian scientists. Over 10 weeks it covered more than one million square kilometers.
And in the process it produced what is by far the most comprehensive assessment of the marine ecosystem in the eastern Antarctic area. This hard data is exactly what Japan claims it is seeking as it justifies its lethal program of “scientific whaling” in the Southern Ocean.
Our stance will be supported by Australia’s own investigation into climate change and whales in the Antarctic, supported with $200,000 under the Natural Heritage Trust. The investigation will also focus on the habitat of dolphins in the Indo-pacific and whale strandings.
The whales are worth it. As these giant mammals breed and play in our waters, they also create a rich magnet for tourism, revitalizing and protecting many of our tiny coastal communities. In recent years the monetary return to our coastal communities from whale watching activities has grown to over $30 million per annum in direct benefits. Indirectly, it is worth $300 million annually.
Over the past seven years, the Government has spent $3.3 billion on coastal and marine activities to protect and manage the sustainable development of our precious marine resources. This year alone the Government will spend $925 million on marine and coastal protection and management. We are working to establish a network of marine plans and reserves that will preserve our unique marine habitats and species for future generations.
NAODOC Festival
I was delighted to attend and speak at the NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Festival in Woolloomooloo on Saturday celebrating 50 years of NAIDOC and 40 years since the Referendum.
There was fantastic live music, traditional dancing, activities for children and a barbecue. Congratulations to Mark Spinks, who does amazing work in the Indigenous Community, for organising such a successful event. I presented Mark with a giant Aboriginal flag. See the photo gallery. Yours Sincerely
Malcolm Turnbull