RENEWABLE ENERGY (ELECTRICITY) AMENDMENT REGULATIONS

Mrs ARMITAGE (Launceston) - I will not go on for a long time because I believe everything has already been said. I commend the honourable member for Huon for bringing this motion forward and also for organising the briefings that were very interesting. As the member for Apsley has said, we are long way behind. I see Australia as leaders not followers and I am very surprised that we are not leading in this way. The member for Windermere, mentioned Launceston City Council and our waste disposal out at Remount Road and for a long time we have been looking at different ways out there of using the waste and moving forward. It is great to see that we will be trying to find some way of using some sort of biomass because the amount of waste we get in comes from all the region, not just the Launceston area, and after a while landfill runs out. The cost of waste is immense in trying to find somewhere to put your waste and to have opportunity here - and as was shown by the briefings what you can do with the waste - not even just hard waste but sewerage and so many different areas.

Mrs Taylor - We should stop seeing it as waste and see it as a resource instead.

Mrs ARMITAGE - Absolutely. When we are talking about waste - we are talking about seeing it as a resource - when you look at someone like Patrick Graham at Glebe Gardens, the fact that this gentleman takes everything in and, while he is not burning it, it is still a way of using waste whether it be biomass or other waste and, whether it be rock or waste, it goes in and makes what is called 'black gold'. It is still a way of using the waste and it is unbelievable after having read Rob Oakeshott's report, it seems to be a no-brainer that we are not doing something more with it and that we are not using a renewable energy to go back in the circumstances of where we are in Tasmania, particularly with forestry and all the other areas, that we could be making much more advantage of what we have. I support the motion before us and I think Australia should be leaders and not followers in this. We should pick up our game and get on with it.

Mr Finch - Through you, Madam President - before you sit down, member for Launceston, in respect of the transfer station at Remount Road and the work they are doing, it is interesting to observe how the community is working with the staff there to divide up the waste they are taking out there. I was very impressed with the way that whole operation is working. It would be quite easy, if something was done out there, to have that burnable material.

Mrs ARMITAGE - It is, and we are looking to have less waste by dividing it up and working out different ways and hopefully in the future we will have something like a tip shop. We are aiming to, having this going into landfill, because at the end of the day we are going to run out and the cost of the landfill is immense.

Mr Finch - I remember the good old days when I brought home more than I took out to the tip, so I know that there are plenty of things that could be recycled.

Mrs ARMITAGE - We all need to stand up and be counted and show the Federal Government, the State Government and everyone basically that Australia is out there and looking to use this biomass and move forward.

Ms Rattray - Through you, Madam President, before the honourable member resumes her seat. Today has seen where there has been so much support for a notice of motion in this House and that is fantastic.

Mrs ARMITAGE - Thank you.