Page 5244 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Ms Porter highlighted this. I agree with you on this point, Ms Porter. We do not want to see a situation where local initiative is stifled—where voluntary initiative by individuals and groups is stifled because the CPRS is structured in such a way that they know that actions that are taken at a local level are simply going to allow someone else somewhere in the country to pollute more and do it more cheaply.
That is the critique from Richard Dennis. It is a serious one and one that needs to be taken seriously. And when we move forward with these medium-term targets, there does need to be a consideration of the national scheme. It cannot simply be done in splendid isolation.
Yes, there should be leadership. We saw leadership from the previous ACT government, as far back as 1997, in setting strong targets. But we also need to look at the fact that we will soon have a national target, a national scheme. There is no doubt about it: in one form or another, we will have a national scheme. We simply cannot ignore the fact that these things are going on, and I am glad that Ms Porter acknowledged that in her motion.
It is important also to look at some of the opportunities that are there for the ACT in this area. There are economic opportunities if it is done right. We heard from Ms Porter about the dominant part that electricity use plays in our emissions here in the ACT. That is where energy efficiency is right at the top of the list of achievable things which can be done here in the ACT—whether it is starting with your government housing stock; whether it is with low income houses, assisting people to make their houses more energy efficient; or whether it is going forward with better planning so that we ensure that more and more houses are able to have good solar access.
Mr Rattenbury: How about those hot-water systems?
MR SESELJA: Indeed. We are very pleased that our policy on hot-water systems got through and was endorsed by this Assembly. We do need to look at that. Solar aspect can be done much better through simple planning. We have talked about this; we have debated this many times.
Then we move to issues like public transport. Unless and until we have a planning system that underpins a sustainable transport system, all we are going to have is tinkering with a bus system that will always struggle to cope. That will be the future we face in the ACT unless we get those planning parameters right. We have argued for long enough as to why there should be more people living in our town centres so that we can underpin that—so that we can underpin it economically in order to get the environmental outcomes and the societal outcomes that go with a really good public transport system. You do not do it simply by trying to tinker with the bus system within the city that we have planned at the moment. That simply will not get it done.
There are other opportunities. I do not have much time left, but of course in the areas of technology and encouraging that technology development here in the ACT we do support strong medium-term targets. We look forward to debate in the Assembly on that when the government brings it back.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video