Page 4890 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 25 October 2011

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MR SPEAKER: A supplementary, Mr Hargreaves.

MR HARGREAVES: Can the minister please provide a brief background on what each of the other councillors will bring to their role?

MR CORBELL: I thank Mr Hargreaves for his supplementary. Yes, I would be delighted to do so. Maria Efkarpidis, as the appointee representing business and industry interests, is a young woman here in Canberra who is the principal of a development company which is aiming to build leading-edge, sustainable built environments. Her company, for example, owns the Belconnen market site and the development there is aiming to achieve the first ever recognition and rating in the green star community’s tool established by the Australian Green Building Council. Ms Efkarpidis, I believe, will bring great expertise because of her commitment to deliver environmentally sustainable developments and will also bring that great pragmatism that comes from having worked in the private sector and engaged in the nuts and bolts of the development industry.

Dr Frank Jotzo is currently an economist working on economics and the policy of climate change at the Australian National University. Dr Jotzo has advised governments and consulted for a range of international organisations, including the Garnaut climate change review. He is also a lead author of the fifth assessment report on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

I would like to mention briefly Ms Lynne Harwood. Ms Harwood is currently the chief executive officer of Communities@Work. Members will be familiar with the activities of Communities@Work, one of the largest non-government organisations in the ACT, working directly with the disadvantaged and poor in our community. I believe she will bring great expertise from that perspective.

Professor Will Steffen needs little introduction. He is obviously one of Australia’s most respected scientists in the science of climate change, again a lead author on IPCC reports and appointed as a commissioner on the Independent Climate Commission.

MS PORTER: Supplementary.

MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Porter.

MS PORTER: Could the minister advise the Assembly of the next steps for the Climate Change Council.

MR CORBELL: I thank Ms Porter for the question. The Climate Change Council will hold their inaugural meeting in November this year, and they will be joined—it would be remiss of me not to mention it—by Mr David Papps, who is the final appointee on the council and represents the public sector interest. Members would be aware that Mr Papps is also the Director-General of the Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate and is also the Chief Planning Executive.


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