Page 4475 - Week 12 - Thursday, 26 October 2017
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ACT community and the government adapt to a changing climate. We also measure ourselves against global standards to ensure that our climate change policies reflect international best practice and report frequently to the community on the implementation of government action on climate change.
In February this year I invited the office to audit and report by 30 September 2017 on the status of actions under action plan 2. The office would define whether actions are completed, ongoing, modified or subsumed through separate policy mechanisms. The office would also report on how the territory is tracking on greenhouse gas emissions reduction and towards our greenhouse gas reduction targets.
I received a copy of this report on 15 September 2017 and, under section 21 of the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment Act 1993, as the responsible minister I am tabling this report within the required six sitting days. The audit found:
… the ACT Government’s continued commitment to addressing climate change has ensured the implementation of the 18 actions.
It acknowledged the complexity of a number of actions and determined that six actions are completed, eight are ongoing, one has been modified and one has been subsumed by other work. The office added a fifth status category to those requested in the terms of reference, the category “of concern”.
The report identifies two actions as being of concern: action 3 energy efficiency information to tenants and action 5 community engagement strategy. The office has provided suggestions on how these actions may be modified to address the issues of energy efficiency in rental homes and communication between the ACT government and members of the community whom we serve. We will consider these suggestions in the development of our future climate change policies.
I am delighted with the outcome of this audit and thank the commissioner and her office for the hard work involved in preparing the implementation status report. I would also like to thank the local experts who contributed their knowledge to the expert commentary and case studies that are also published within the report. We are proud to have so many experts residing and working in the Canberra region and to be able to showcase their work in the commissioner’s document.
I am very pleased with the achievements made through the implementation of AP2 since its release in 2012. I will present to the Assembly a government statement of response to the 17 recommendations of this report in early 2018. I look forward to continuing to update the Assembly on how the ACT can continue to embrace the challenge of climate change and, through action, demonstrate ongoing leadership to communities locally, nationally and internationally.
I commend the 2017 implementation status report on the ACT government’s climate change policy to the Assembly.
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