NSW: NSW govt wastes electricity by lighting empty offices: Oppn

AAP General News (Australia)
08-03-2004
NSW: NSW govt wastes electricity by lighting empty offices: Oppn

By Saffron Howden

SYDNEY, Aug 3 AAP - The NSW government was wasting electricity and pumping thousands
of tonnes of carbon emissions into the atmosphere by lighting up its offices at night,
the state opposition said today.

Seven Sydney government buildings had their lights on overnight on Sunday, opposition
infrastructure and planning spokeswoman Peta Seaton said.

The buildings, including Governor Macquarie Tower which houses the offices of NSW Premier
Bob Carr and senior government ministers, had "all the lights on and no one home", Ms
Seaton said.

She said the practice wasted thousands of dollars of taxpayers' money and "pushed thousands
of tonnes of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere".

"At the same time as the government is requiring home builders to invest money in energy-saving
devices in homes, the state government is wasting electricity, wasting money, and pumping
thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere because of their own laziness,"

Ms Seaton told reporters.

The electricity wasting proved the government was not committed to its own policy of
reducing energy use.

"This has revealed the Carr government as an environmental vandal.

"If it's happening on Sunday night, it's happening every night of the week and all
through the weekend.

"This will be costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, if not millions,
in wasted electricity costs."

A spokeswoman for Energy Minister Frank Sartor said there was an informal protocol
that lights in government offices were turned off at night unless someone was in there
working.

AAP shh/smb/pw/sd e

KEYWORD: LIGHTS

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