Page 3945 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 15 Sept 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
The farmers in our region are also keen for more organic nutrients for their soils. When the Goulburn-Mulwaree city-to-soil project first called upon farmers to volunteer to take the compost, they were inundated by about 30 farmers from one tiny ad in the paper. Unfortunately, they could only supply two farms with what they were producing, but it does show that there is a ready-made market for our compost once we start producing more of it.
This reuse of organics and conversion to compost is going to be extremely important in a few years to come because, as well as the greenhouse gas problems, the world is also running out of chemical fertilisers such as nitrogen and phosphates. Phosphate in particular is a resource we are rapidly depleting. Of course, if you looked at Australia’s waterways you would find that we were not depleting it; we were adding it to our waterways.
Another major part—I will have to start speaking more quickly—about the carbon story is looking at our urban development issues. This is an area where the government needs to focus particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. In terms of the urban land release program, we need to focus on ensuring that greenfields of high ecological value and, hence, high-carbon sequestration levels are not being developed, that urban infill in transport corridors is prioritised to reduce transport-related emissions and that urban infill is not taking away suburban capacity for carbon sequestration. We also need to start thinking harder about urban offsets when we do large infill developments.
We need to look at new suburban blocks to make sure that, as well as having space for the house, there is space for some garden to offset the carbon sequestration, to offset the emissions produced by the household. In this way we can hopefully ensure carbon neutrality on an ongoing basis.
There is a great general theory that urban infill is always environmentally preferable. However, current research by the CSIRO’s sustainable urban systems section shows that the energy output is far higher in areas such as Gungahlin, which has smaller block sizes and therefore a higher ratio of concrete to greenery, and that, in older, bushy suburbs, there are larger gardens and there is lower energy output.
Obviously, it is preferable to develop existing areas rather than greenfields. As I am running out of time, I seek leave to table this beautiful picture from the City News. Look at the picture to see what they are doing.
Leave granted.
MS LE COUTEUR: I present the following paper:
Bonner has environmental focus—Article—City News, August 27-September 2, 2009.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Minister for Energy and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (12.09): I would like to thank members for their contribution to
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .