Terms of Reference

1. That a select committee, to be known as the Select Committee into the
    Resilience of Electricity Infrastructure in a Warming World, be established to
    inquire into and report on, by 10 February 2017, the following matters:
         (a) the role of storage technologies and localised, distributed generation to
              provide Australia’s electricity networks with the resilience to withstand
              the increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather events driven
              by global warming;
         (b) recommend measures that should be taken by federal, state and local
              governments to hasten the rollout of such technologies in order to:
              (i) create jobs in installation, manufacture and research of storage
                   and distribution technologies,
              (ii) stimulate household and business demand for storage
                   technologies,
              (iii) anticipate the rapid deployment of localised distributed
                   generation through changes to market rules,
              (iv) drive the reduction in technology costs through economies of
                   scale, and
              (v) seize on the opportunities to be a global leader in deploying
                   storage technologies because of Australia’s high fixed electricity
                   tariffs and significant penetration of rooftop solar; and
         (c) any other relevant matters.

2. That the committee consist of 7 senators, 2 nominated by the Leader of the
    Government in the Senate, 3 nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the
    Senate, 1 nominated by the Leader of the Australian Greens and 1 nominated
    by minority groups and independent senators.
3. That:
         (a) participating members may be appointed to the committee on the
              nomination of the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the Leader of
              the Opposition in the Senate, the Leader of the Australian Greens or any
              minority party or independent senator;
         (b) participating members may participate in hearings of evidence and
              deliberations of the committee, and have all the rights of members of the
              committee, but may not vote on any questions before the committee; and
         (c) a participating member shall be taken to be a member of the committee
              for the purpose of forming a quorum of the committee if a majority of
              members of the committee is not present.
4. That the committee may proceed to the dispatch of business notwithstanding
    that all members have not been duly nominated and appointed and
    notwithstanding any vacancy.
5. That the committee elect as chair a member nominated by the Leader of the
    Australian Greens and, as deputy chair, a member nominated by the Leader of
    the Opposition in the Senate.
6. That the deputy chair shall act as chair when the chair is absent from a meeting
    of the committee or the position of chair is temporarily vacant.
7. That the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, may appoint another
    member of the committee to act as chair during the temporary absence of both
    the chair and deputy chair at a meeting of the committee.
8. That, in the event of an equally divided vote, the chair, or the deputy chair
    when acting as chair, have a casting vote.
9. That the committee and any subcommittee have power to send for and examine
    persons and documents, to move from place to place, to sit in public or in
    private, notwithstanding any prorogation of the Parliament or dissolution of the
    House of Representatives, and have leave to report from time to time its
    proceedings, the evidence taken and such interim recommendations as it may
    deem fit.
10. That the committee be provided with all necessary staff, facilities and resources
    and be empowered to appoint persons with specialist knowledge for the
    purposes of the committee with the approval of the President.
11. That the committee be empowered to print from day to day such documents and
    evidence as may be ordered by it, and a daily Hansard be published of
    proceedings take place in public.

Committee Secretariat contact:

Senior Clerk's Office
Department of the Senate
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Phone: +61 2 6277 3555
Fax: +61 2 6277 3899
seniorclerk.committees.sen@aph.gov.au

About this inquiry

The committee is to inquire into the role of storage technologies to provide Australia’s electricity networks with the resilience to withstand the increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather events driven by global warming.



Past Public Hearings

07 Mar 2017: Melbourne
20 Feb 2017: Adelaide
10 Feb 2017: Canberra

more...

Inquiry Status

Report tabled

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