Page 2028 - Week 05 - Thursday, 6 May 2010
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TAMS manages a range of programs that involve new planting and the replacement planting of trees in Canberra’s streets The total number of trees planted over this period greatly exceeds tree removal.
(A copy of the attachment is available at the Chamber Support Office).
Environment—firewood
(Question No 722)
Ms Bresnan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, upon notice, on 18 March 2010:
(1) Given that in the ACT Firewood Strategy 1999 the objective of ACT Firewood Industry Code of Practice is that merchants agreed to abide by a number of conditions, including supplying the choice of mixed fuel wood loads, selling by mass, (weight) only, stocking only seasoned wood, providing information pamphlets on correct wood burning practices to their customers and to provide where possible the source and type of firewood in a fuel wood load, does the Government have a record of how many wood merchants are compliant and non-compliant with the ACT Industry Code of Practice and can these figures be provided for each of the past five years.
(2) What steps has the ACT Government taken over the past five years to ensure that business is compliant with the ACT Industry Code of Practice.
(3) Are there incentives for businesses to sign up to the ACT Industry Code of Practice.
Mr Corbell: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) The voluntary ACT Firewood Industry Code of Practice (COP) became obsolete when the Environment Protection Legislation Amendment Bill 2000 (EPLA Bill) came into effect on 5 April 2001.
The EPLA Bill was presented by Ms Kerrie Tucker MLA on 28 June 2000, the then ACT Greens MLA. The Bill was passed by the Assembly on 30 August 2000.
The EPLA Bill amended the Environment Protection Act 1997 to make the sale and supply of firewood a Class A activity requiring an environmental authorisation issued by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and the Environment Protection Regulation to set minimum standards for such an authorisation. The prescribed conditions are contained in the Regulation.
In addition to the prescribed conditions, the EPA requires each authorisation holder to produce an annual report by 31 January for the amount of firewood sold in the previous calendar year.
As the COP became obsolete in 2001, no compliance records exist.
(2) As noted, the voluntary COP has been replaced by the requirement that wood merchants to hold an environmental authorisation under the Environment Protection Act 1997.
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