Page 154 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 December 2008
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In 1995 the first Greens MLAs, Lucy Horodny and Kerrie Tucker, were elected to this Assembly. I was struck when reading Kerrie’s inaugural speech by the clear environmental imperatives she outlined that highlighted the importance and common sense in reshaping our economy to not only safeguard our natural environment for future generations but also establish sustainable businesses and have us pioneering what we today call the green economy.
Thirteen years later, in 2008, the world has gained far greater understanding of the human impact on the environment. The existence of global warming and the need to act urgently on climate change is accepted, and many individuals and communities frustrated by the slow response from politicians to what is our greatest challenge in the 21st century are providing the necessary leadership.
It is this grassroots action that will not allow governments to continue to ignore the obvious need to, among other things, legislate greenhouse gas emission targets, improve public transport, endorse higher energy efficiency ratings on all new dwellings and buildings, facilitate the retrofitting of existing homes and offices and establish our own supplies of renewable energy. This I believe is the reason that so many Canberrans voted Green, in order to see these important issues and initiatives instituted and progressed.
During this Seventh Assembly I and my colleagues are committed to getting results on these and many other issues that will not only have environmental benefits but also address social equity and improve the daily lives of many Canberrans. Our first action was to include these initiatives along with many others in the Greens-ALP agreement that was tabled in this Assembly yesterday.
The ACT Greens campaigned on the importance of ending majority government and put ourselves forward as the party that provides third party insurance and takes seriously the need to improve democracy. With this in mind we also included in the Greens-ALP agreement a significant program of parliamentary reform. The reforms are likely to reverberate throughout Australian politics and lead to reforms in other state parliaments as well as the commonwealth. I believe that the parliamentary reforms will establish the ACT Assembly as a world leader in scrutinising and opening up the processes of government to the people, as well as setting up a system that demands a more collaborative and inclusive approach to developing policies and laws.
I thank the voters of Ginninderra for the support and confidence they have shown in me to be their representative. I believe that I am very well placed to respond to the trust they have placed in me, and I will work hard on their behalf. My life and work experiences have allowed me to develop the skills to be a strong advocate on many issues. I have an empathy with and understanding of the different circumstances and challenges that people in our great territory face, as well as a clear understanding of the importance and responsibility of good stewardship of the lands of the ACT.
My family’s connection to Canberra began in the late 1920s. My maternal grandparents, George and Olive Browning, arrived in Canberra in 1927, as my grandfather had been transferred form Melbourne with the Department of Trade and Customs. They raised six children in their house in Ainslie and were active members
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