Senator LEES (Acting Leader of the Australian Democrats)(11.16 a.m.) —Now that we have dealt with the amendments to the Snowy Hydro Corporatisation Bill 1997 , I wish to comment on an issue raised by Senator Cook and responded to by the Minister for Resources and Energy (Senator Parer)—that is, the greenhouse issue.

It is a shame—indeed, it is more than a shame; it shows how disinterested both the previous government and this government have been in the issue of greenhouse gas reductions—that this is still the only major facility in mainland Australia, apart from the hydro systems in Tasmania, that is actually able to produce energy with very few gas emissions.

I believe the initiatives of the previous government could have made sure that some of the plans that were on the drawing board—for example, the wind generating facility in Gippsland in southern Victoria—could have gone ahead. One would have hoped that by now the federal government would have worked with state governments to ensure that the available technology in solar generation is put to use somewhere in this country.

The comments from the minister regarding the reduced greenhouse emissions from this facility are very welcome, but it is an indictment of this government and the previous government that this is basically all we have. We do not have the solar and wind facilities that other countries have. I point out that the energy output of the wind generating facilities in California equate to all of Victoria's energy output. Hopefully, the wind-powered system planned for the Woakwine Range in South Australia will be able to go ahead so that at last it will not be just the Snowy scheme that is producing renewable energy; we will actually have some others.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

SNOWY HYDRO CORPORATISATION (CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS) BILL 1997

Bill agreed to.

Snowy Hydro Corporatisation Bill 1997 reported with amendments; Snowy Hydro Corporatisation (Consequential Amendments) Bill 1997 reported without amendment; report adopted.