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This is the second year Hydro Tasmania has integrated legal requirements and sustainability principles into our Annual Report for a seamless record of our economic, social and environmental performance. For the two years prior, the Annual Report contained the Sustainability Report as a distinct section.
This report covers the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008. Reference to activities outside this period is occasionally made where it is appropriate and relevant to the topic and in these cases the date is specified. All data quoted is for the financial year unless stated otherwise. All references to ‘this year’ refer to 2007-08 financial year. Any data presented as a whole year, e.g. 2008, refers to the financial year 2007-08. Similarly, any reference to ‘last year’ means 2006-07 financial year.
The content of the report is determined by the Government Business Enterprises Act 1995 (GBE Act) and Hydro Tasmania’s commitment to reporting performance in our Sustainability Code. We provide information from the self-assessment of our business sustainability which is framed by the Code and based on the International Hydropower Association Sustainability Assessment Protocol We also address the Global Reporting Initiative’s G3 guidelines and the pilot Electricity Utilities Supplement.
A summary for this is contained in the GRI index.
The content of this report is influenced by our primary reading audience, the Government of Tasmania as the shareholder and other public representatives of the Tasmanian community, the ultimate owners of Hydro Tasmania. We consider also the various interests of other stakeholders involved in the performance and operations of Hydro Tasmania and in the electricity industry and its associated interests whether in the State, national or international arenas.
Priority for the content of this Report was decided by taking the top 10 issues from two materiality lists, one which identified materiality issues during a review of key performance indicators across the business and another from the survey of stakeholders taken in preparation for the 2006-07 Annual Report.
The survey was considered by Hydro Tasmania to be relevant still, given that conditions for operation were similar; only one new major condition had appeared and no new issues had been raised during the reporting period. The sustainability self-assessment data provided another source. These sources identified similar issues.
As required by the GBE Act, Hydro Tasmania includes the Statement of Corporate Intent, a summary of the Corporate Plan which is presented to the Tasmanian Government in May of the reporting year to show intent for the next five years. The Act also requires financial statements, a copy of the opinion of the Auditor-General and a report on operations, information on performance and operations, including data from subsidiaries.
This year we received no feedback from readers on the 2006-07 report, which has provided valuable suggestions in the past. The feedback form can be filled out here.
This report includes information and data on Hydro Tasmania and its controlled subsidiaries Bell Bay Power Pty Ltd, Lofty Ranges Power Pty Ltd, Bell Bay Three Pty Ltd, RE Storage Project Holdings Pty Ltd, HT Consulting (Holding) Pty Ltd and does not include Hydro Tasmania Consulting India Private Limited.
Lofty Ranges Power Pty Ltd holds a 50 per cent stake in a South Australian mini-hydro scheme joint venture. Data from the joint venture is in the financial statements.
Roaring 40s, a 50/50 joint venture with the CLP Group for renewable energy developments, has provided information for this report on its management approach and a narrative of the company’s sustainability issues and makes specific note of its activities in Tasmania to address the interests of the Tasmanian community.
Changes to report content
The Report is similar to the previous year. Changes made to the Sustainability Code during 2007-08 are reflected in the content changes for performance indicators as presented in the summary table (PDF).
Some scores from 2006-07 have been accordingly adjusted.Figures for greenhouse gas emissions from 2006-07 are restated here.
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