Page 450 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 June 1989
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
We have the opportunity to set the tone for future legislation, not just for the ACT, but for Australia and possibly for the world. What we need is an holistic approach to our environment. It will be that type of approach that gives us the opportunity to play our part in a collegiate world of people looking after their environment. There is no point going on and marching off the edge of a cliff into no future. We must take responsibility for our environment and for the future now.
The current situation in Canberra - although it is much better, in many ways, than many other cities in Australia and certainly many other cities in the world - is that we do have environmental problems. We have air pollution problems. On still, cold mornings in Canberra, particularly our beautiful, clear mornings, we are often greeted by a thick blanket of air pollution. That thick blanket of pollution is partially with us because of the temperature inversion problem that we have in Canberra; it is partially caused by wood fires; it is partially caused by those black clouds of smoke that we see pouring out of buses at times; it is contributed to by cars and by other pollution problems such as the burning of autumn leaves.
There have already been some attempts to legislate about those particular problems. What we are looking for, though, is overall general legislation that covers the whole problem. The current situation with reference to our forests, and particularly our pine forests, also needs a particular and careful look, even from a financial point of view where our pine forests, according to forward estimates, contribute something like $0.5m to our budget.
What we need to do as an Assembly is ensure that our people in Canberra are educated in respect of the environment. We must ensure that the right frame of mind exists; that people are pollution conscious; and that pollution consciousness and environment consciousness can go across many spheres. We can talk about burning autumn leaves. If people are pollution conscious, what they will soon be doing is raking those leaves, turning them into compost, turning them back into the soil, helping things grow. There is the attitude of mind we need to foster.
We need to have people asking, "How much do I need to use my vehicle? Should I be riding my bicycle? Can I fit more people in the car? Should I be using public transport? When I am constructing a house, what do I need to do to make my own living quarters fit in with the environment and have as little impact on the environment as I possibly can? When I am at the office should I turn off a light, instead of leaving all the lights burning? Should I be recycling paper?". It is those sorts of educational aspects that must come out and in relation to which we must get the right frame of mind. I believe that if we refer this matter to the Select Committee on Conservation, Heritage and Environment, it can report back to this Assembly with a possible integrated policy that will tend to do those
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .