Posts tagged ‘Lily D’Ambrosio’
Victoria sets offshore wind targets of 9GW by 2040
The Victorian Government has set new offshore wind farm targets. Currently there are no offshore wind farms operating in the state, although the Star of the South Project off the Gippsland Coast is well progressed in planning.
The new offshore wind targets:
- 2032 – target of 2 GW
- 2035 – target of 4 GW
- 2040 – target of 9 GW
- 2050 – potential capacity of 13 GW
There are already 3 offshore wind farms on the drawing boards. The 2.1GW Star of the South is the most advanced offshore wind farm project, with estimated construction from 2025 and completion in 2028.
(more…)Gas leak closes down Sydney Road shops in Coburg: we need transition off gas
Coburg Gas leak
A large gas leak in Coburg has closed down Sydney Road between Bell street and Harding street, threatening the strip shopping area including Victoria Street Mall.
The hazardous gas leak at 424 Sydney Rd, Coburg, has prompted an emergency warning at 12.20pm on Sunday 15 November. Gas fumes spread towards Victoria St Mall. All Gas services in the area have been impacted.
Let’s get this straight: Gas is a fossil fuel. Gas leaks can be dangerous (explosive potential). Breathing Gas can affect our health. There are fugitive emissions leaks throughout the distribution system.
We need to transition residential and business customers off gas both for short term safety and health, and long term climate safety. There are good alternatives to gas for heating, cooking and most industrial uses.
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Brunswick MP highlights solar homes program needs urgent restructure
Solar installs in contraction due to poor implementation of Solar Homes Package
Brunswick Greens MP Tim Read has highlighted in state parliament the urgent need for the solar hones program to be restructured.
This is a flagship program by the Labor’s Dan Andrews Government for residential uptake of solar panels and growing renewables in Victoria. But the program is so popular and demand is being capped so that it is driving renewables installation businesses to the wall. The industry and jobs are in contraction.
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LaTrobe Valley Coal Power pollution poses health threat – World Environment Day
Mercury pollution emissions from Australian coal power stations compared. Source: The Age
June 5 is world environment day and here we publish a question on pollutants from the coal fired power stations in the La Trobe Valley, asked by Brunswick Greens MP Tim Read in March.
Why aren’t these toxic pollutants such as mercury and Sulphur Dioxide more highly regulated and restricted? The technology exists to capture these and other pollutants, but the state government so far hasn’t ensured that the companies responsible fit the filtering technologies which are widely used overseas.
The EPA is currently drafting licence amendments and the licence review process report for the coal power stations. Increased limits, real time monitoring and regulation of pollution needs to be an important part of new licenses for the three energy companies: AGL Energy, Energy Australia, and Alinta.
Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio signs climate emergency declaration
Lily D’Ambrosio MP for Mill Park, Minister for Energy
The Victorian Minister for Energy signed on to the climate emergency declaration.
At the Brunswick prepoll station for the Victorian election the Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio was handing out How to Vote cards for Brunswick Labor Candidate Cindy O’Connor.
As Cindy has already signed the climate emergency declaration, I asked Ms D’Ambrosio if she would consider signing the declaration. After a short period considering the request, she accepted and signed the declaration.
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New Victorian Solar Feed-in Tariffs to recognise Greenhouse gas avoidance
SolarPV in Moreland (Via MEFL)
New solar feed-in tariffs (FIT) are being introduced by the Andrews Labor government in Victoria, based on the time-of-day – peak, off-peak and shoulder – which better reflects current electricity pricing. The new tariff structure will also compensate solar households with a tariff component taking into account the environment value of greenhouse gases avoided.
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio announced the changes as a fairer way to pay people for the solar and wind power they produce for the electricity network.
“Victorians should be fairly compensated for the power they generate – plain and simple.” said Lily D’Ambrosio. “Households will now be compensated through the most cost effective and fairest system available, which is through a time-of-use feed-in tariff.”
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La Trobe Valley coal mine rehabilitation bonds increased to $254 million
Premier Daniel Andrews announces response to Mine fire Inquiry in Morwell
On Friday the Andrews government announced in Morwell it’s response to the final landmark inquiry into the 2014 Hazelwood Mine Fire. This includes an initial $50 million in the Victorian state budget to implement the recommendations, and a major increase in the rehabilitation bonds for the three La Trobe Valley coal mines.
“The people of the Latrobe Valley have been completely vindicated. I’m so proud of their efforts. They never gave up and neither will we.” said Premier Dan Andrews.
The recommendations focus on 3 major areas: improving the health outcomes of the La Trobe Valley community, increased monitoring of air pollution, and improve progressive rehabilitation and end of life mine planning.
It highlights the importance of helping the La Trobe Valley transition away from coal, and in putting in place a just transition for the community. The increased focus on health and mine rehabilitation is a necessary first step for this transition.
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Victorian Guide to community energy unveiled at Daylesford
Lily D’Ambrosio, the Victorian Energy and Resources Minister, appeared at the Hepburn Community Wind Cooperative AGM at Daylesford and launched a Guide to Community Energy to empower communities to invest and control their own electricity generation infrastructure. Hepburn Wind is the first modern Victorian community owned energy co-operative.
This continues the positive steps being taken by the Andrews Labor Government in energy transition with the release of the Victorian Renewable Energy Roadmap for public consultation and the current finalising of the Renewable Energy Action Plan.
Community ownership of wind farms and solar farms is particularly high in parts of Europe, especially Denmark and in Germany where the Energiewende has localised electricity infrastructure and empowered communities.
Here is my report on Storify of the Hepburn Wind AGM and launch of the Guide to Community Energy. It was facilitated by Yes2Renewables campaigner Leigh Ewbank’s presence and live tweeting.
Lead Photo of Lily D’Ambrosio speaking courtesy Mary-Anne Thomas MP/Twitter
Labor to keep Energy Efficiency program with a review to strengthen it
The new Victorian Government has moved quickly to ensure the continuance of the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme that the previous Liberal Government were preparing to abolish.
Increasing energy efficiency provides a double saving of reducing green house gas emissions and energy costs. It is one of the main methods the International Energy Agency suggests as necessary for tackling carbon emissions, already making a substantial contribution to mitigation efforts, even in Australia.
Energy and Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio announced on 19 December 2014 that the Victorian Government will retain the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme which will save 2000 jobs.
“Energy efficiency is one of the best ways for homes and businesses to reduce bills and greenhouse gas emissions.” said Lily d’Ambrosio.
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Politician education needed for next Government on Heatwaves
Source: Loughnan, ME, Tapper, NJ, Phan, T, Lynch, K, McInnes, JA 2013, A spatial vulnerability analysis of urban populations during extreme heat events in Australian capital cities, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Gold Coast, 128 pp.
On Monday Brunswick Greens candidate Tim Read was on the Beyond Zero Emissions show broadcast on Monday 24 November. Also on the show was Lily D’Ambrosio, the Labor Member for Mill Park and the Shadow Minister for Energy and resources, Cost of Living and the Suburbs.
I have interviewed Tim Read and he has a good knowledge of the impacts of climate change and particularly heatwave impacts on human health which are are more likely to be experienced in heavily urbanised areas with climate change amplifying the urban heat island effect.
A recent report tabled in parliament by the Victorian Auditor General’s Office identified critical deficiences in heatwave emergency response. Over 500 people in the last 5 years are estimated to have died as a result of heatwaves in Victoria.
Source: Victorian Auditor General’s Office report: Heatwave Management: Reducing the Risk to Public Health tabled in Parliament 14 October 2014
During the show Read asked a question of D’Ambrosio. Her response was very inadequate, in which she talked off topic and didn’t really answer the question. We have been given short shrift by 4 years of a Liberal Government, and if this response is anything to go by, we need to educate these MPs that peoples lives depends on good governance and strategic emergency management. Importantly, we need to have good plans in place to manage multiple emergencies at once. When heatwaves occurr, not only do we have a health emergency from the heat, but we are also much more likely to also have bushfires occurring which must be managed simultaneously.
Here is the interaction that I transcribed from the Beyond Zero Emmissions radio show
Lily D’Ambrosio on the government health response to heatwaves
Tim Read: I was a bit concerned Lily, and thankyou for coming on the show, about the excess deaths attributed to heatwaves in 2009 and then again in January this year. I am wondering whether a new government, a Labor government, would be interested in improving the state government response, particularly the health response to heatwaves?
Lily D’Ambrosio: I am not going to be making any policy announcements on the radio and on the run. Definitely not. But we are acutely aware that the extreme variations in temperatures do have a strong impact, and sometimes a devastating impact on health and livelihood and it is very important that these issues are looked at. That there is a capacity for communities to become more resilient and certainly have more opportunities to protect themselves through heatwaves and cold snaps. We know that with gas prices about to surge to unparalleled levels that many parts of Victoria like Bendigo and Ballarat where it gets very cold and there is a high reliance on gas for heating, that there is going to be some significant challenges there for communities in terms of being able to keep warm. The state Government has done those communities no favours by putting caps on the energy concessions and we are going to be looking very carefully at the impact of that if we are lucky to be elected this coming weekend.
Vivien (Compare): I have something to add to that from one of our loyal listeners from Mudgee who sent a text message this morning saying “Can you say on air that Mudgee has broken all records last weekend – 42 degrees – broken all the records they have ever kept. People are really quite frightened of that. This is becoming the norm and how are they going to cope? And I think they do require the State Government to put in place more emergency services, and like places to shelter. I would like to see all the churches open for example, the school halls, so that people, civil society is organised to cope, and it is not just this huge mass of people turning up at emergency departments when they could have been prevented from going there.
Lily D’Ambrosio: There is a will, and a great benevolence across our community in greater need, whether it is at times of flood or fire disasters and the like, there is that great willingness. You need to believe the science and accept the science. We need to then aknowledge there is a role to be played, a leadership role at all levels of government and we know that some local governments have been very pro-active, state governments also can be that, importantly too, and the best scenario is all levels of government and all sides of politics to understand that we have gone beyond questioning the science. It is a ludicrous situation where we have debates and we pull scientists into a political slanging match and use them as dart boards. The fact is they are above that. The minute we understand that we will all be the better for it to take the necessary bipartisan steps.
Vivien (Compare): I think it is a tragedy that might take us all out. It is so bad. The delay.
Lily D’Ambrosio: and that is why programs such as yours are very important, and we need to get on with it and start some pro-active steps to turnaround our situation. That is going to be a big effort, but small efforts can result in big improvements. Why we need to support communities, however small or large their proposals might be at all levels: from community right through to scale projects.
Deaths due to heat events exceed all other extreme weather causes including bushfires, and the trend is going to get worse as temperatures rise with climate change unless we can mitigate some of the worst impacts and learn to adapt what we can’t mitigate.
Can I suggest Ms D’Ambrosia that a big first step would be to read that Victorian Auditor General Office report on Heatwave Management for Victoria?
We need to have better governance in place and this should start with our representatives in parliament. It is part of their duty of care to ensure safe conditions for citizens of Victoria. And heatwaves exacerbated by the climate change trend, definitely pose a risk to health, especially to many vulnerable groups in the community.
Once they understand the impacts maybe they will increase their flimsy climate policies, released on 26 November without any fanfare.
Victorian Auditor General’s Office (2014) Heatwave Management: Reducing the Risk to Public Health. Report tabled in State Parliament 14 October 2014
To start you off Lily, here is a presentation I prepared in March 2014 on heatwaves climate change and Melbourne
Climate Action Merribek: people in Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner and Glenroy wanting action on climate change 