exciting potential but still some questions, page-8

I sent the Minister for the Environment a letter about this very point and just received a response which I will transpose for you all.

Thank you for your email of 13th November 2009 to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, the Hon peter Garrett AM MP. As your email concerns grants under the REDP, it was forwarded to Marting Ferguson as the Minister responsible for energy matters. The Minister has asked me to respond on his behalf.

REDP applications were assessed by the Renewable Energy Committee under a competitive process against specific merit criteria. The REC's role, as an independent body appointed by the Government, was to review the REDP applications from other wave projects in relation to the merit criteria and the overall objectives of the REDP.

Victorian Wave Partners Pty Ltf is an Australian proprietary company limited by shares. The company is a joint Venture between Ocean Power Technologies (Australasia) Pty Ltd and Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd. Both of these companies are registered in Australia.

Thank you for writing to the Government on this issue.

Yours sincerely

Joel Grant
Assistant Adviser
02 62777930


Basically the whole letter is political double speak and didnt really answer any of the points that I raised. They seemed to floss around the issues, parading Aus holding companies as "Australian".
I specifically asked them about the concerns people had raised regarding OPT getting any product to market. No response on that item.
I wonder if we can ask for the REC's findings under the freedom of information guise? Any one know anything about this?

Bottom line is the response to my queries is poor. So I still have queries.