Solar Homes package
Mr R SMITH (Warrandyte) (14:11): My question is to the Minister for Solar Homes. In June this year the Premier stated that the solar panel rebate scheme would create 5500 new jobs. In just one example, Sky Energy Systems has had to lay off 40 staff since the scheme commenced. With the Smart Energy Council reporting that there have already been over 200 jobs lost in the industry, will the minister finally admit that her botched scheme has cost jobs, not created them?
Ms D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park—Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Minister for Solar Homes) (14:11): I thank the member for his question, but I have to say that he is wrong. You cannot have more installations without actually creating more jobs. That is the simple explanation figure. We are delivering a record number of—
Mr R Smith: On a point of order, Speaker, is the minister contending that the Smart Energy Council are lying when they say that there have been 200 jobs lost in the industry? Is that her contention?
The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. I have warned the member for Warrandyte about raising frivolous points of order.
Mr Wells: On a point of order, Speaker, and with the greatest respect, you cannot anticipate what a member of Parliament is going to say in their point of order. Earlier you said that there had been two strikes, which inhibits the member making any further points of order. Now, you may have a different ruling, the government may have a different ruling, but if the member for Warrandyte believes what he is putting forward is a point of order, then he should be allowed to put that point of order.
The SPEAKER: Order! I just refer the honourable member to the fact that I allowed the member for Warrandyte to raise the point of order and ruled on it. So I am happy to hear points of order, but I will not allow members to continuously raise frivolous points of order. They need to be relevant to the standing orders and sessional orders of the house.
Ms D’AMBROSIO: As I was saying, you cannot drive more installations without creating more jobs. That is a simple fact—record installations that Victorians have never, ever seen before and that the industry has never seen before We will continue to roll out the scheme because we know that Victorians want it and they are voting for it with their feet.
Mr R SMITH (Warrandyte) (14:13): In a survey conducted by the Smart Energy Council, 77 per cent of respondents said they either had or would be making staff redundant as a result of the government’s botched rebate program. Before more workers lose their jobs and more businesses hit the wall, will the minister actually listen to the solar industry and fix this mess that she created?
Ms D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park—Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Minister for Solar Homes) (14:14): I thank the member for the supplementary question, and what I say is this: we are absolutely aware of that survey. We are. You ask the question about how many jobs have been created. When you actually have a look at how many jobs have been created since August last year, which is when the rebate scheme came in, there have been a significant number of jobs that have been created. It is the particular point in time that the Smart Energy Council has chosen to survey its members which seems to present a different picture. I repeat: you cannot have more installations without having created more jobs. And we will do it: absolutely more installations, more rebates than ever before.