Page 1397 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 5 June 2007
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The Greens have been actively pursuing the need to deal with the growth in greenhouse gas emissions and, more generally, our profligate use of resources since our inception. It is frustrating that even those from the other parties of government who recognise the need to change appear to be taking the slowest route possible. The slower we are at this stage, the harder it will be on our future economies, our environment and our children and their children.
This is a simple but necessary piece of legislation. It appears to me to deal with the concerns of the service station proprietors, for whom the release of individual fuel sales figures would have commercial implications. I look forward to seeing what the aggregate fuel consumption figures tell us about how much we drive our cars in order to show how much we need to provide alternatives to them, as well as to the eventual release of a climate change strategy that includes realistic but challenging emission reduction targets.
Since hearing yesterday that the government plans to release its climate change strategy soon, I can understand that there is some urgency to this information being available. I look forward to hearing Mr Stanhope outline what consultation has occurred and, if it has not, what consultation will occur with the affected parties.
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Minister for the Environment, Water and Climate Change, Minister for the Arts) (10.58), in reply: The Environment Protection (Fuel Sales Data) Amendment Bill is designed to facilitate the collection of ACT fuel sales data for the purposes of calculating greenhouse gas emissions for the ACT transport sector. The data is best collected from each service station rather than fuel wholesalers, as service stations can obtain their fuel over the year from a number of different wholesalers from areas both within and outside the ACT, or directly from fuel importers or refineries.
Transport fuels are the second greatest cause of greenhouse gas emissions in the ACT—23 per cent compared with 15 per cent nationally. Most ACT greenhouse gas emissions are caused by our heavy and increasing use of electricity and gas to heat, cool and light our houses, offices and other buildings. This is significantly different from the national average, which reflects the lack of industrial and agricultural industry in the ACT and the transport system dominated by private vehicles.
Without effective data it is difficult to keep track of a significant portion of our emissions. To date the ACT has been forced to rely upon indirect estimates based upon Australian Bureau of Statistics survey data of the average fuel consumption and distances travelled by ACT vehicles. Given the significant contribution of liquid fuel use to emissions volumes, this reliance has the potential to undermine the credibility of greenhouse target reporting. With the removal of the ACT fuel excise in 1997 the ACT Treasury ceased collecting fuel sales data. Data currently collected by the commonwealth relates only to national refinery production and imports. Voluntary submission of data by industry has proven to be ineffective.
Over the last two years the ACT has made a commitment to developing an effective climate change strategy. This will require, among other things, a commitment on our part to monitor greenhouse gases. The purpose of this amendment is to mandate the
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