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Monday, 31 October 2011
Page: 12286

Clean Energy Plan

(Question No. 503)

Mr Baldwin asked the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, in writing, on 17 August 2011:

(1) What number of Government advisors is providing supporting documentation for the Clean Energy Plan, what departments do they work for, and what are their salaries.

(2) What sum is allocated for the establishment and/or expansion of the bureaucracy to develop and implement the Clean Energy Plan.

(3) What expenditure has the Government incurred to date for the development of the Clean Energy Plan.

Mr Combet: The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

(1) The Plan for a Clean Energy Future (the Plan) contains a number of different policies and programs which are designed to move Australia towards a clean energy future. These policies and programs have been designed and will be implemented across a number of government departments. For the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, the provision of advice to government leading to policies such as the Plan and developing supporting documentation come under the Department's Program 1.1 (Reducing Australia's Greenhouse Gas Emissions) and Program 1.2 (Improving Australia's Energy Efficiency). Given that the advice that the Department provided to the Government to develop the Plan was a core departmental function, no additional funds were allocated to the Department for this purpose. The Department was allocated funds to run the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee and to run the Garnaut Review Update (including secretariats in both cases), details of which were provided in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook in 2010.

(2) Financial costs associated with policies and programs under the Plan can be found in Appendix B of Securing a Clean Energy Future - the Australian Government's Climate Change Plan at: www.cleanenergyfuture.gov.au/clean-energy-future/securing- a-clean-energy-future.

(3) See (1).