Page 2933 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 August 2013

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ICRC. Perhaps he should tell the ICRC how they got it wrong. Perhaps he should explain to the ICRC why their methodology is flawed. I look forward to hearing from Mr Coe on those matters.

The government will continue also in relation to making the switch to renewable energy generation. The government will continue with its program in relation to the large-scale solar option, and we anticipate that this will be expanded in future years to include other renewable energy technologies such as wind and potentially biogas.

The government also continues with its energy efficiency cost of living improvement scheme, which will support over 70,000 households and businesses with the benefit of energy saving products and advice. This will not only cut household electricity bills by around $300 over the three-year period of the scheme but will also abate approximately three-quarters of a million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. A scheme that saves money and greenhouse gas emissions is a good scheme for our city.

The government will continue in this year’s budget to support major collaborative efforts between our university sector and the government. The Canberra urban regional futures program is being strengthened with support in this budget to improve and sustain its activities. The government is honouring its election commitment to provide funding to this very important program. The Canberra urban regional futures program, a joint initiative between the ANU and the University of Canberra, highlights the fact that a sustainable working environment is critical for our city’s future prosperity.

CURF is a vehicle to facilitate collaboration among governments, researchers, business and community organisations across Canberra and the surrounding region. The government will continue to undertake measures to address this program, and the government will continue to engage with this organisation as we build our sustainability agenda.

The government will also continue tackling some of the issues of concern in policy setting and service delivery when it comes to other aspects of transport. For example, the government will continue to develop measures to look at how parking need can continue to be managed as our city grows. $50,000 has been set aside to establish the parameters for the operation of the parking offset fund. This will provide the opportunity for developers to make contributions where adequate parking cannot be provided on site due to site constraints or economic reasons.

To complement this work, the government will also undertake a review of the adequacy of parking provision rates, focusing on how changes to land use policy for transport affect the rate of parking in the ACT. This will ensure that parking is adequate now and into the future as demand changes and will also provide for more sustainable outcomes as we shift away from what was often a very costly parking provision to more efficient alternatives.

The government will continue with a range of other important programs to help low income earners. Through our outreach program, for example, this directorate will continue to provide support for low income Canberrans to reduce their resource


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