Page 3102 - Week 07 - Thursday, 30 June 2011
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The bottom line is this: unless it is carefully and strategically managed, this proposed levy would amount to nothing more than a new tax on the citizens of the ACT. It will be so because the government will use the opportunity to impose a new levy. It may allocate it in the first instance towards the management of our natural environment, but then the money will be spent in other ways. All this will amount to is another impost on the cost of living for Canberra families. (Second speaking period taken.)
Madam Assistant Speaker, this government continues to fail the people of Canberra. It cannot deliver capital projects on time or on budget. It cannot take planning through to the end before spending taxpayers’ money. It cannot properly assess the costs versus the benefit of its projects. It cannot be open and transparent and it is willing to introduce any new tax it can think of.
It does not care about the impact of its mismanagement on the ACT, on the economy or on the cost of living for Canberra families. It does not care that it is one of the highest taxing governments in the country. It does not care that it squandered the good times, not saving for the hard times.
This government, quite simply, does not care. As an indication of just how little this government cares, I cannot conclude my remarks about this directorate without mentioning the review of Nature Conservation Act. I note that Mr Corbell made no commitment in relation to when the amended legislation will be brought forward. He only said that he would like it to come forward before the end of the current Assembly.
This would mean that we have been through 2½ Assemblies and we are still waiting for a review of the Nature Conservation Act, which is probably one of the oldest and most unreviewed pieces of legislation on the statute book. It is a shameful indictment of the Labor government that we have gone so long without a proper review of the Nature Conservation Act. Money has been appropriated for it, but we never see the results of it. This is another waste of money by this Labor government.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (10.15): This next year we will see the relatively small department of DECCEW rolled into a larger Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate, bringing together climate change and energy policy, water policy, biodiversity policy and urban and transport planning and a few other things besides. The Greens are hoping it will end up including the other half of our biodiversity management, the rangers and field officers who bring their expertise to the management of our natural areas. But we shall see how that eventuates. And certainly the government’s response to estimates does not fill me with optimism on that one.
In broad terms, this merging of offices focusing on sustainable development of our city can only be a good thing, as we know that there needs to be a shared agenda to implement sustainability measures properly. And with an ambitious 40 per cent greenhouse target, all sections of government are going to need to be working together and with the community.
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