Schools and hospitals could win from climate-fund bid

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Schools and hospitals could win from climate-fund bid

School buildings and hospitals could be upgraded to save power and reduce emissions under a potential bid from Victoria for a slice of the Abbott government's multibillion-dollar climate-change fund.

By Jason Dowling and Tom Arup

Victorian school buildings and hospitals could be upgraded to save power and reduce greenhouse gas emissions under a state government bid for a slice of the Abbott government's multibillion-dollar climate-change fund.

Environment Minister Lisa Neville met her federal counterpart Greg Hunt to discuss how Victoria could access the $2.55 billion emissions reduction fund - the central pillar of the Coalition's "direct action" policy.

Victorian Environment Minister Lisa Neville in Geelong. Her agenda includes cleaning up contaminated sites, new legislation for coastal regions, and battling climate change.

Victorian Environment Minister Lisa Neville in Geelong. Her agenda includes cleaning up contaminated sites, new legislation for coastal regions, and battling climate change.Credit: Luis Ascui

She said while it had previously been unclear how states could win federal funding to reduce emissions, the conversation with Mr Hunt had been encouraging that it would be possible to get support to introduce energy efficiency measures across a series of schools and hospitals.

"He was saying we could do that, so hopefully that's right," she said.

Under the federal policy, companies and governments can bid for funding to cut emissions. Funding will go to projects that show through an auction process that they can cut emissions at lowest cost.

On other climate change policies, Ms Neville told Fairfax Media the Andrews government would review the state Climate Change Act and would look at reintroducing a state emissions reduction target. The former Labor Brumby government introduced a target of a 20 per cent emissions cut by 2020, but it was scrapped by the Coalition.

She said the review of the act would look at whether a state emissions target would be effective.

"The emissions target we had previously was an aspirational target and that might be appropriate again in Victoria," she said.

"I think one of the benefits of a target - and I'm not pre-empting the outcome of a review - can be that it sends a message to the market," she said.

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She said scrapping the target had been a "very political" decision by the former Coalition government. "They did not want to be in the space of climate change."

Ms Neville said the Coalition had told bureaucrats not to use the term climate change. Government documents often instead referred to "climate variability".

"I have been down to the climate change floor [at the Department of Environment and Primary Industries] and I've said 'climate change is real and you can talk about it'," she said.

She said the government was hoping to begin a review of climate change polices and legislation in the next six to eight weeks.

Ms Neville said South Australia was also reviewing its climate change laws and she hoped the two states could work together to become an investment target for renewable energy. A joint emissions reduction target with South Australia was not out of the question.

Environment Victoria chief executive Mark Wakeham said he would also like to see the state government explore ways to use the federal emissions reduction fund to shut some of the state's high-emissions brown coal power generation.

On a new emissions reduction state target, Mr Wakeham called for a body such as the federal Climate Change Authority to be given the job of advising Victoria on targets.

He said Labor's previous state target should be the starting point, and that targets should be short term to remain front of mind for politicians.

Ms Neville said she would also:

- look at NSW's introduction of a container refund scheme, sometimes known as "cash for cans". She remained unconvinced it was worth the cost for Victoria.

- set up a taskforce to consider the contest between logging and the creation of new national parks. She said the CFMEU had not vetoed a plan for a new Great Forest National Park in the state's central highlands.

- request information on firewood collection, particularly on the Murray River. She said she wanted to ensure the abolition of a permit system had not led to commercial businesses from Melbourne taking large volumes of wood from local regional communities.

- get rid of 99-year commercial leases in national parks and restore the previous 21-year limit, with exceptions at Arthurs Seat, Mount Buffalo and Point Nepean.

- work on improving protection of Victoria's coastal areas.

- introduce legislation to ban cows from the Alpine National Park.

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