"Much of this increase is being driven by a $17 billion spend on the
existing poles and wires network.

"Up to a third of this cost could be avoided by using renewable energy
as a solution to household power needs.

"NSW faces the prospect of creating 'fuel poverty', where some of the
state’s most vulnerable households will be forced to go cold this winter.

"Households should not have to bear the brunt of over two decades of
mismanagement of the state’s publicly owned electricity sector.

"Renewing the state’s electricity infrastructure is a perfect opportunity
for the NSW government to move to the proven technologies provided
by solar and wind.

"Instead of throwing cash at an old-fashioned technology that is beyond
its use-by date, the NSW government should be investing in smart grids
that can help households manage their power use.

"NSW Premier Kristina Keneally must act to make renewable energy the
primary focus for new electricity infrastructure," Dr Kaye said. 

For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455 

"Instead they continue to fall back on the same old tired excuses they have
been churning out for the past three years.

"Hunter Water persists in its reliance on unrealistic drought risks. The
response has again failed to account for the use of water restrictions and
demand management to cope with any future short term pressure on supplies.

"The utility is trying to create panic over water shortages to justify
building their favourite project.

"A series of 'commitments' such as a possible national park and water
releases are nothing new. Hunter Water has packaged up its legal and
administrative obligations as concessions.

"The promise of 2.5 billion litres of water released into the Williams River
does not disguise the harsh reality that Tillegra would take flows of 60
billion litres a year from the Williams and Hunter River and the estuary.

"The re-engineering of Seaham Weir was always necessary and will do little
to keep the estuary and lower Hunter River alive.

"The community will not be panicked into accepting this dam and the Keneally
government should join them in rejecting the excuses and concessions.

"Hunter Water has broken faith with its obligation to serve its community.
It has reverted to being an old-fashioned engineering-dominated bureaucracy
with a 'build at any cost' mentality.

"The response to submissions is misleading and dismissive. The Keneally
government should reject the dam," Dr Kaye said.

For more information:    John Kaye 0407 195 455

"Their expert analysis suggests that adopting Julia Gillard's curriculum without major changes would be a step backwards for education in NSW.

"Verity Firth must make it clear to her federal colleague that NSW will reject the national curriculum unless all of these problems are fixed.

"Major reworking of at least three of the disciplines will be required to ensure that NSW students are not forced to accept poorer quality education.

"With just eleven weeks of consultation, it is difficult to see how substantial re-writing can be achieved in time to start rolling out the new contents next year. 

"Thanks to decades of hard work by NSW teachers and education experts, this state has a world-leading curriculum that is well suited to the range of needs of students.

"NSW should not be forced to take a backwards step to bolster the political ambitions of the Deputy Prime Minister.

"Verity Firth has promised that NSW students will not lose out in the change to a national curriculum.

"She cannot ignore the expert warnings. 

"The NSW minister must make it clear to her federal counterpart that acceptance of any new curriculum is conditional on it being at least as good as the existing documents," Dr Kaye said. 

For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455 

Introduction

While the Federal Government’s Energy Efficient Homes Package was still operating, the NSW Office of Fair Trading advised homeowners and tenants to conduct their own risk assessments for installing insulation. Households were encouraged to obtain the insulation installers’ sign off on their amateur risk assessments.

In many cases insulation installed under the Package became an electrocution and fire hazard. On average, one house fire a week was caused by incorrectly installed insulation in 2009.

The NSW Government, despite its responsibility for safety at work, allowed unqualified people to work in the confined roof crawl spaces.

The Energy Efficient Homes Package program has been suspended and the Minister responsible, Peter Garrett, effectively demoted.

Fair Trading

There is no requirement under NSW Fair Trading for insulation installers to hold qualifications in roofing installation.

Information provided by the NSW Office of Fair Trading encouraged householders to inform installers of the risks in their homes and to confirm they understood the guidelines for safe installation. 

This was in contravention of the NSW government’s own workplace safety laws, which place responsibility for the completion of risk assessments before work commences with employers.

The advice provided by the NSW Office of Fair Trading on their website[1] was for households to complete a self-assessment checklist.

There was no requirement for householders to enter their roof space to verify any of the items on the NSW Office of Fair Trading checklist.

The NSW Office of Fair Trading then encouraged households to obtain the installer’s signature on the checklist and acknowledgement of the standards for fitting insulation around potential heat sources.

Safety Checklist

Below is a copy of a section of the Office of Fair Trading checklist[2]:

Comments from John Kaye