Page 3771 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 22 November 2006
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Mr Pratt: Why do you drive one, Jon?
MR STANHOPE: I drive one to get around, but I know very little about it. That is my point, Mr Pratt.
Mr Pratt: How about a sedan chair? Would that suit you?
MR STANHOPE: That would probably do me. It is an important issue. It is a significant change of policy.
The point I was trying to make was that it is a policy that impacts on entitlements of members of this place and of the broader public service. I am sensitive to that policy change that impacts on accepted conditions of employment. I simply wish to take the opportunity to explain some of the thinking behind the decision because it certainly impacts directly on all members of this place and on significant numbers of ACT employees. The government has committed to the progressive replacement of the government fleet of six-cylinder sedans with four-cylinder sedans where that is operationally appropriate.
To the extent that it is regarded as operationally not appropriate, there are certain areas of government administration, such as conservation and parks and some areas of the Emergency Services Authority, where vehicles other than four-cylinder vehicles will be required. I know that a number of members of the Assembly have made the transition. I have. I know other members of the Assembly have as well.
As leases expire, accepting the need for a transition in some circumstances where particular vehicles may not be available, there will be some latitude shown in relation to a transition from the current policy to a four-cylinder only policy for members of the Assembly and for our executives or those entitled to access a car. That is a latitude that will not be particularly relevant to some of our departments or agencies that utilise cars. That is a reflection of the fact that there is now only one Australian made four-cylinder car, the Camry.
The government has taken a decision, which we are now implementing, to broaden the access to cars other than just the Camry. The government, in making that decision, was mindful of the implications of essentially being able to access only a single make, but it is important that the government is also concerned to ensure that those members and members of the ACT public service with entitlement to a car and who have certain family responsibilities or obligations or who have larger families can access more than just a sedan as part of their entitlement. The government is determined to ensure that those members of the Assembly or of the ACT public service with a need for a family mover will be able to continue to access such a vehicle.
Briefly, it is important to go to some of the detail in relation to the implications of meeting greenhouse gas emission reductions and cost. It is interesting that an average car produces 4.3 tonnes of CO2 in a year. Interestingly, a six-cylinder car is considered to produce almost exactly double the amount of greenhouse gas emissions or CO2 than a four-cylinder car in one year, which really puts this debate in some context. A four-cylinder car uses approximately the same amount of petrol as a
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