Page 1066 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011
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You can understand that when we are producing a table that shows that over the last two years alone the level of construction activity has grown from $4.7 billion to $7.3 billion. Even with that historically high level of construction activity, you can anticipate another $10 billion worth of work going forward. You can understand why finance companies, financiers and major international developers in construction-oriented companies would be interested in that and the value and worth of a snapshot such as this to the ACT.
MS LE COUTEUR: Supplementary, Mr Speaker?
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Le Couteur.
MS LE COUTEUR: Chief Minister, in your answer you indicated that construction was the heart of the economy. When will you start moving the ACT economy to a green economy?
MR STANHOPE: It is a very significant part of our economy. I think the heart of the ACT economy in fact is the business of government, Ms Le Couteur, not construction activity. The two are related, but the heart of this particular economy is government and the business of government and administration. But construction activity has been a very important part of the spike in activity and is responsible for the fact that we now have the strongest economy.
I think you are aware, however, Ms Le Couteur, and I do welcome the question and the opportunity, that the government have as part of the partnership that we enjoy with the Greens actively pursued a green economy, that we have commissioned very highly regarded expert advice. We have commissioned reports. We are looking seriously and genuinely at the steps that we can take to progressively move towards a more environmentally friendly or sustainable business and environment and we continue to look forward to your assistance in doing that.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Hunter?
MS HUNTER: Minister, what steps are you taking to ensure that workers who are coming from interstate to work on these large-scale construction projects have access to safe and affordable housing?
MR STANHOPE: Thank you, Ms Hunter. It allows me an opportunity again to repeat that the ACT has the most advanced, the most rigorous affordable housing strategy of any jurisdiction in Australia. It is beginning to show quite significant signs of making a real difference in relation to the availability of affordable housing within the ACT.
I can use just by way of an example the subject of, I think, your question yesterday. This is the only jurisdiction in Australia where a certain percentage of all new housing is mandated to be affordable. Just over this current year, mandating that 20 per cent of all greenfield developments, being house and land combined, be valued at less than
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