Page 224 - Week 01 - Thursday, 16 February 2006
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consultation today, adopt new targets for reduced energy use. The aim is to reduce water usage by 40 per cent in all new developments and redevelopments. These new guidelines, which set out these targets and requirements, will shortly commence a nine-week public consultation period.
What does this mean for new homes? It means that new homes will need to have a rainwater tank or a grey water recycling system as part of their development. In addition, there will be requirements for increased standards of plumbing to allow that water to be reused—for example, through the toilet or through other grey water activities in the household.
This target, to reduce water usage by 40 per cent, compared with 2003, in all new developments and redevelopments, including single residential dwellings, multiunit developments, commercial developments, institutional and industrial developments and all new residential estates, is a comprehensive response to the very important issue of reducing water use in new homes, new subdivisions, and commercial and industrial buildings.
It is important that as a community we focus on better managing water, our most valuable resource. These new water guidelines—standards when they are formally introduced—will make a significant contribution in that regard and will again see the government honouring a commitment we made at the last election to put in place tougher standards to manage water in all new dwellings in Canberra.
Budget—superannuation liability
MRS DUNNE: My question is to the Chief Minister. Last year the Auditor-General qualified the territory’s 2004-05 financial statements. As you would know, when an auditor says something is qualified, the auditor actually is saying, “I don’t believe you.”
The financial statements were qualified because they failed to include the revaluation of the superannuation liability. Had the revised superannuation liability been included, the correct operating result for the general government sector would have been a deficit of $188 million, not the stated surplus of $26 million. Why do you perpetuate this error by including the revaluation of assets, but not the revaluation of liabilities, in the government’s financial statements?
MR QUINLAN: I think I should answer that question. First of all, Mrs Dunne, in the question you said—you could not help yourself, I suppose—that when the auditor qualifies a statement she is saying, “I don’t believe you.” That is just not the case. What the Auditor-General was saying was that the treatment that the government has applied—did you understand the question you asked and are you interested in the answer?
Mrs Dunne: Yes. Don’t worry. I have been doing this for a while.
MR QUINLAN: I do not think you do understand the question you asked.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Come to the question.
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