Page 456 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 June 1989
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Opposition does, however, want to raise just some points with respect to the cost side of such moves. It should not be pretended for one moment that measures such as those contemplated by this motion can be accomplished without some cost, and we have to be acutely aware, notwithstanding the brief of our committee, of the costs entailed in that.
What is particularly relevant, of course, is that the ACT is an island, a small island of a quarter of a million people in the middle of a much, much larger State. I note in the motion references to "integrated environment policy", "integrated with management of plantations of native species" and so on. These things are important. Integration with New South Wales is also important if we are to achieve anything. It is my earnest hope that initiatives we take in the ACT can be sold to other States, in particular New South Wales, to ensure that our small contribution is magnified by what happens in that State in particular and other States.
Cooperation with the States is important. For example, if we adopt exceptionally high standards in the ACT which are not reflected in New South Wales, we do run the risk of driving certainly some industry out of the Territory, making it impossible to buy, for example, certain goods in the Territory and forcing people to travel across the border to Queanbeyan to obtain energy inefficient or polluting substances, or goods, or equipment which cannot be obtained in the ACT. That achieves absolutely nothing because they are still being used in the ACT and we are simply driving that retail industry or industry in general out of the ACT.
There has also been some discussion by the mover of this motion about housing design standards, the use of solar panels, and ensuring the houses face in such a direction that they make use of passive solar energy, as I think it was referred to. I want to make one point there. The Liberal Party is supportive of that kind of thing, but not so as to increase the cost of buying a home in the ACT. Home buyers in this Territory, as indeed everywhere else in Australia, are facing a very serious problem with respect to the affordability of homes. We are not going to add any significant costs in anything we do in this place to that process. I hope that we can achieve that without any additional increase in costs.
I note that paragraph (c) refers to "the environmental impact of alternative proposals for balanced energy use". I am not sure whether the mover of the motion has in mind perhaps nuclear energy in that part of the motion. I will discuss it with him later on perhaps, but I will watch with interest whether that motion foreshadows that very clean and energy efficient use of our resources.
Indicating, as I said before, that we support this motion, I also note that the report time is a fairly lengthy one. We are all on a number of committees, some of us more than
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