October 2026 monthly column by State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin.
I AM pleased to report that in September Parliament passed the Minns Labor Government’s medicinal cannabis driving reforms.
This is an issue that came up at the drug summit and I am one who has argued for a fairer system for drivers who are on prescribed medicinal cannabis, instead of an immediate 3-month loss of licence if traces of THC are detected.
The legislation means drivers will no longer automatically penalised solely because THC is in their system, provided they meet strict conditions and are not driving while impaired. This brings it in line with all other prescribed medicine/tablets that are not proscribed.
There will still be roadside drug testing and a positive test will mean a 24-hour driving ban while the result is processed, but a result below 50ng/ml will mean no further action.
Under the legislation eligible drivers will need to register with Transport for NSW, provide evidence of a valid prescription, and complete an online module on cannabis and driving safety. Nobody should drive while impaired by cannabis, alcohol or any other drug and there are strict safeguards included in the legislation. The legislation, and the patient register and education modules are expected to come into force late this year or early 2027.
Leading the way on solar power
The Northern Rivers has a reputation for being a leader in renewable energy take up. The Lismore electorate is third out of 93 electorates for solar panel installation, and neighbouring Ballina is second.
I know a lot of households and businesses would like to do more, like installing storage batteries, but have found the upfront cost to be a barrier.
So, I want to go over some of the measures that the Minns Labor Government has brought in to support households and businesses to upgrade their energy efficiency.
Under the Home Energy Saver Program, eligible homeowners with a taxable income of up to $210,000 can access a no-interest loan of up to $15,000 for energy-saving upgrades, and the loan can be paid off over ten years. The money can be used for rooftop solar, home batteries, hot water heat pump, reverse cycle air conditioning, induction stove tops, EV chargers, double glazing, insulation and ceiling fans.
This has proved very popular locally, and the Lismore electorate is eighth in the state for uptake of the loans. I encourage you to look into it.
The NSW Government is also helping businesses reduce their power bills through incentives that cut the upfront cost of battery installations with discounts of 20 to 40 per cent, depending on the size of the battery system. The incentive can be combined with the Australian Government’s scheme for discounted rooftop solar for commercial buildings.
As we move towards more solar power there is the issue of the growing amount of solar panel waste, with about 14,000 tonnes of solar panel waste a year in NSW.
The Government is now consulting on Australia’s first mandatory solar panel recycling scheme to ensure the valuable materials in solar panels, such as aluminium, glass, silicon, copper and silver can be recovered, reused, and kept out of landfill.
Information on the stewardship scheme and consultation is at https://yoursay.epa.nsw.gov.au/solar
