E&OE….
Topics: Pope’s encyclical, Renewable Energy Target
STEVE MARTIN:
Greg Hunt is the Federal Environment Minister and our first guest this morning. Minister, good morning to you.
GREG HUNT:
Good morning, Steve.
STEVE MARTIN:
Has the Pope overstepped the mark and entered the world of politics?
GREG HUNT:
No, I think it's entirely appropriate for the leader of one of the world's great churches and faiths to have and express views about the state of the world. And personally I welcome the intervention of the Pope. I think to have a faith leader making a point about, not just climate change, although I think that that was extremely important, but about in particular how we use our resources, about waste, consumerism, rubbish, was a really valuable intervention.
STEVE MARTIN:
How do you think this will be received by governments around the world? Will it change the direction of any governments, Greg Hunt?
GREG HUNT:
I think it can add to the momentum. So I can't speak for other governments in other countries. But I can say that it just helps with momentum. I think the world will have a successful and important conference at Paris, where nations will pledge to reduce their emissions. So that's the global Climate Change Conference at the end of the year. Things are looking as if this will be a significant success. It won't be perfect, but I think it will be a significant success.
STEVE MARTIN:
Will it change the direction of your government?
GREG HUNT:
Well it adds – it adds to what we're doing. And so we're in the process now of, having just commenced what has arguably been the world's most successful emissions reduction auction – 47 million tonnes at a price of $13.95 a tonne. What really matters though is real reductions in emissions right across Australia. Four times the entire carbon tax experiment in just the first auction, with dramatically more to come in future years and so I'm really pleased about that.
STEVE MARTIN:
There are plenty of commentators and people who say your government is heading in the wrong direction in this, particularly with the demise of the carbon tax. You're confident, however, that you are on the right track?
GREG HUNT:
Well we beat our first round of Kyoto targets as a country. We are on track to beat our second round of Kyoto targets, and then we will make a very constructive and ambitious contribution to the third round, which is the post-2020 targets that will be determined in Paris this year. That, and in particular other countries and international organisations are looking at what Australia has done. The international aviation body, IATA, is looking to adopt an almost identical model to what's being adopted in Australia.
It's very interesting. I was speaking with Alan Joyce, the CEO of Qantas a couple of days ago, for the first time he took me through the extent and depth of what the international aviation industry is doing, and it's going to be almost identical to what Australia has adopted. So in that way we've really led the world, and we're bringing others with us to reducing emissions in a real way as quickly as possible, without trying to hike electricity prices, which was the alternative model. But frankly I didn't think it worked, and I didn't think it was equitable.
STEVE MARTIN:
While you're talking up the government's carbon credentials, climate change credentials, at the same time there is also talk this morning about a wind farm commissioner, which – it appears to be part of a long running, strategic attack on the wind industry.
GREG HUNT:
No it's- with respect, it's actually the opposite. There are three things that are likely to come out of the Senate next week. Firstly, a Renewable Energy Target which won't be 20 per cent but will be 23.5 per cent. Secondly, increased and enhanced support for solar, particularly large scale solar.
And thirdly, because there has been many community concerns, and there are a variety of views, and I absolutely acknowledge this, the ability for those who do have deep concerns, and I've met many whose lives feel- or they say are extremely troubled and disturbed, to give them for the first time what they've been calling for for years – the ability for someone to examine their complaints. And I think that that's a sensible balancing as a government to do.
STEVE MARTIN:
Do you believe wind farms make people sick?
GREG HUNT:
Look, I can only go on the advice of the National Health and Medical Research Council and they found two things. Firstly, there's no evidence at this point that there is a direct link. But secondly, they specifically stated and argued that there should be additional research. And so we're following that advice.
STEVE MARTIN:
Those – the National Health and Medical Research Council has found that there is no evidence on successive occasions. That's right isn't it Greg Hunt?
GREG HUNT:
That is correct, and so they have found that there's no evidence to date. They specifically called for additional research. I think the correct phrase was the NHMRC considers that further high quality research on the possible health effect of wind farms is required.
So no findings to date, and I acknowledge that absolutely, and I accept it absolutely, but also accept their advice that there ought to be additional research. My view here is that if there isn't a problem nobody should be worried, and if there is a problem we should know, but the findings of the NHMRC so far have been fairly comprehensive.
STEVE MARTIN:
While you talk about a need for additional research has that begun? Because that recommendation is several months old, perhaps even as much as twelve months old.
GREG HUNT:
Well we are issuing a $2.5 million call for additional research through the National Health and Medical Research Council, so we've followed up on what they're doing there, and I think it's, you know, it's always sensible and prudent for governments to be examining and considering, particularly when arguably the premier scientific institution and advisory body makes those statements. So I respect both their findings, and their recommendations.
STEVE MARTIN:
Why do we need a commissioner at this stage if the research hasn't been done? The research will take I would imagine a significant amount of time, two, perhaps three years, perhaps longer for a proper long term study. Why do we need a commissioner to investigate claims of ill health which at this stage are unsupported by science?
GREG HUNT:
Look there are actually two things, and it's – one is to ensure that there's additional scientific research on the advice of the NHMRC, and secondly because there are divisions – this is an honest answer – you know there are divisions within rural communities; some people who are delighted, there are many however who are distressed, and we have dealt with them, and if you meet with people who are deeply distressed, then I think they are entitled to have a right of complaint and an avenue of complaint.
We have also worked with the Clean Energy Council. They've been very constructive and there are many in the Clean Energy Council who've said look, we don't think there's a problem, but people should have a right of complaint and an avenue complaint. So they have been very constructive. So at the end of the day, what are we likely to come out with next week?
We will have a Renewable Energy Target of 23.5 per cent, not 20 per cent, enhanced and additional support for large scale solar, which I think is a tremendous outcome, and a way of dealing with community concerns and trying to establish once and for all the scientific position.
STEVE MARTIN:
Will you be announcing a smart meter commissioner as well at some point in the future, Greg Hunt?
GREG HUNT:
No, that's not one that's been put to me because I think they…
STEVE MARTIN:
What about a coal mine commissioner? That's come through in our SMS.
GREG HUNT:
Well this is very interesting; we're actually taking exactly what occurred under the ALP where they established a scientific committee into coal seam gas. So that's already been done. So there is a major coal seam gas committee – $100 million was allocated for that, this is something by comparison of multiple times the scale, multiple times the expenditure, multiple times the people who were involved with that coal seam gas committee.
So the ALP did establish that. We provided bipartisan support and we have continued that in an ongoing role, and we now have a new head of the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas, Dr Andrew Johnson, who's the deputy head of the CSIRO.
STEVE MARTIN:
On the text message service Minister, there's this that's come through from two different text messages talking about 24 to 25 studies that have found no ill-health from turbines. One says this is just ridiculous, none have found any negative effects to wind farms. Is it ridiculous, or is this simply politics? Having to placate those in the Senate to get the reduced Renewable Energy Target through?
GREG HUNT:
Well the first thing is it's following the advice of the NHMRC, so if the scientific body says no findings to date, then I absolutely accept the findings of our scientific agencies. That's important. If they also say additional research then I think that's also important.
And as for the avenue of a community complaint, if you meet with and you see and you talk with some of those who feel deeply, deeply, deeply distressed, then I think it's important that we give them an avenue for complaint and an avenue for their concerns to be considered.
STEVE MARTIN:
Just finally, Minister, while I have you, the Victorian Government wants to introduce a VRET scheme, a top-up scheme, with the reduction in the Renewable Energy Target. That requires Federal legislation; it requires a change at your level of government. Will you allow the States to introduce their own top-up schemes?
GREG HUNT:
Well they actually have that capacity right now…
STEVE MARTIN:
They say they don’t.
GREG HUNT:
I’m not sure they’re entirely across the Constitution or very competent in this space, I’m sorry to say. The ACT has a renewable energy scheme which they can operate and which they do operate. I met with the ACT Chief Minister just this week and we discussed it.
They are using a reverse auction model in exactly the same way as the Commonwealth Emissions Reduction Fund for additional renewable energy. There is nothing at all stopping Victoria to adopt that. Would we want to double up and have them interfere in a national market? No, that’s always been the case for some years now. But…
STEVE MARTIN:
They say they handed over responsibility when the MRET came in and the VRET went out, that it became a Federal responsibility and they cannot introduce a top-up VRET…
GREG HUNT:
Well I would encourage Daniel Andrews to speak with his ACT counterpart, Andrew Barr, who’s the Chief Minister there. They are operating a very effective system, completely legally, using a reverse auction mechanism, exactly the same mechanism as our Commonwealth Emissions Reduction Fund. It’s operating now.
They’re actually putting money into it. If Victoria wants to put funds into exactly the same sort of model as the ACT, they can go and deploy large-scale solar and we would welcome that. But there’s no barrier to them acting – other Territories and States are doing that.
STEVE MARTIN:
Minister, thank you for your time.
GREG HUNT:
Thanks a lot.
(ENDS)