Page 3692 - Week 12 - Thursday, 25 November 2021
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from transport by continuing to support the ACT community’s uptake of zero-emissions vehicles; and the range of programs the government has established to provide direct support to ACT households, community clubs and community organisations to help ensure that no-one is left behind as we transition to net zero emissions by 2045.
The ACT government is committed to continuing to lead the nation in taking action on climate change. Collectively, we must reduce the greenhouse gas emissions we produce so that we have a healthy planet and an environment where all people and species thrive. The ACT government is looking closely at its own operations to make sure that we are taking strong steps towards achieving our ambitious emissions reduction targets.
To support this important work, we have put in dollar terms the cost of inaction on climate change, which economists call the social cost of carbon. In this budget, the ACT government has adopted an interim social cost of carbon value of $20 per tonne of emissions. In practice, this means that the government will bill itself for the cost of its emissions, creating a pool of funds that the government will reinvest in emissions reduction activities and projects.
The ACT is the first jurisdiction in Australia to take this important step forward. This will help our government to make better decisions for the wellbeing of our community. It will require our agencies to focus on the emissions profile of potential new projects, existing infrastructure and the like. We have been very clear that the money raised from this social cost of carbon will be used to reinvest in projects, whether that is, for example, replacing a gas boiler in a government building or helping to transition the government fleet.
These initiatives are about making sure that the government gets its own house in order and sets an example for the community. There is no doubt that the steps the government has already taken have enabled others to follow on from that, whether that has been other governments, businesses or community organisations.
The fleet advisory service is an example of that. I noted Ms Castley’s comments, and I can let her know that the fleet advisory service already operates. It is out there doing its job, as we expect it to, helping the private sector to think about how they can transition their own fleets, where they have one. They are using the lessons that government has drawn through transitioning its fleet to what is now one of the largest zero-emissions vehicle fleets in the country—using the learnings that have come from that on the cost of vehicles, how to bring vehicles into the fleet, and what sort of charging infrastructure you need, sharing that knowledge to help amplify the efforts that government has already taken.
That leads me to the issue of transport emissions. We are taking strong action to reduce emissions from transport in the ACT. Transport emissions now account for around 60 per cent of the ACT’s greenhouse gas emissions. Of these emissions, an estimated 70 per cent are from private vehicles. These figures underline the scale and complexity of the challenge we need to address. Reducing the number of high-emitting vehicles on our roads is therefore an important step towards reaching our emissions reduction targets.
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