Page 4011 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 25 November 2014
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Yet here in the ACT this is a project that our government effectively supports through its investment holdings in Whitehaven Coal. In fact, the ACT government currently has holdings in 70 of the top 200 fossil fuel companies, with well over $100 million invested in fossil fuels. I do not for one minute believe that the ACT government would allow a development like this to go ahead here in the ACT. It would be inconsistent with our protection laws around the precious box gum woodlands as well as totally inconsistent with our goals around global climate change and what we need to do to prevent dangerous climate change from occurring. It is becoming increasingly obvious that to have our investments resting with 70 fossil fuel companies is also inconsistent with our policies, our beliefs and, importantly, our values around global climate change. The Maules Creek development highlights how incongruous it is; our investment in Whitehaven is totally at odds with our values and beliefs, and it simply should stop.
I have written to the ACT Treasurer, calling on the government to place a freeze on new investments in fossil fuel companies and develop a plan to responsibly divest from fossil fuel companies over the next three years. While I welcome the Treasurer’s response, which indicated that the ACT is starting to apply an assessment of investment risk based on environmental indicators, our investment in Whitehaven Coal and other fossil fuel companies continues. We need to change that. We should freeze any new investments in coal, oil and gas. We should fully divest over the next three years from fossil fuel investments. We should be clear about what we are doing and why we are doing it, because not only is it morally untenable to continue to invest in fossil fuels, it is also inevitable that it will also be a bad investment in a world where fossil fuels need to stay in the ground.
Remembrance Day
MR DOSZPOT (Molonglo) (4.59): Lest we forget. On Remembrance Day, 11 November 2014, I had the honour of being one of the invited guests at the Rosary Primary School in Watson for their commemoration service. Many parents were in attendance, while other invited guests included parents who were members of the Australian armed forces; parish priest Father Kieran; and Keyden Bruce.
Remembrance Day, originally called Armistice Day, commemorates the end of the hostilities of the Great War, World War I, and the signing of the armistice which occurred on 11 November 1918, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
The Rosary Remembrance Day 2014 ceremony was a solemn and respectful ceremony and was held at the Rosary school Lone Pine tree to remember all Australian servicemen and women who have died in various wars as well as those who have served or are currently serving in our army, navy or air force. Red poppies were amongst the first plants that came from the battlefields of northern France and Belgium during World War I, and the school distributed these symbolic poppies to all the attendees. They were proudly worn by all—visitors, students and teachers.
Welcome to country was delivered by Australian Catholic University student Samantha Jarvie, and the national flag was lowered to half mast by year 5 students while the school principal, Mrs Maureen Doszpot, read the prayer of remembrance, which I quote:
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