Page 2002 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 5 June 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
management of the ACT environment into the twenty-first century. The strategy is built on our policy and sets out the steps by which the Government will achieve its long-term plan for the protection and enhancement of the unique ACT environment.
Our long-term plan is expressed in the targets which this Government, in partnership with the community, will strive to achieve. It sets out the actions the Government will undertake. It also identifies many of the substantial achievements to date in the management of the ACT environment. In nature conservation, I announced today the most comprehensive gazettal of reserves since the initial establishment of Namadgi National Park in 1984. This very substantial enhancement of the reserve system will help ensure preservation of the ACT's native plant and animal species in their natural habitat.
Soil conservation is one of Australia's major environmental issues today. The ACT Government has accorded a high priority to activities during the year and the decade of land care. Programs are already in place for land capability assessment, total catchment planning, integrated farm planning and the development of education packages on land care for all ACT schools.
In pollution control, we have significantly strengthened pollution control legislation and have taken steps to increase public awareness of pollution issues in the ACT. Mr Speaker, there are two principles that are fundamental to this strategic plan: firstly, that environmental responsibility transcends artificial boundaries and that the global implications of local actions must be acknowledged; and, secondly, that there must be an effective partnership between the Government and the community if we are to maintain and enhance the environmental quality of the ACT.
With respect to the first of these principles, the ACT is a relatively small Territory with an already high quality natural and built environment. By good fortune we have escaped much of the damage that urban development and expansion can inflict on the natural landscape. The ACT is uniquely placed to become a model to the rest of Australia in its management of the environment. We do not experience the difficulties of urban pollution and coastal management that the States and other Territories must deal with. Nonetheless, the ACT can show by example that a high level of environmental quality is achievable and sustainable.
The Government will not ignore the surrounding regions of New South Wales. The standards of environmental quality should not differ between the south-east region of New South Wales and the ACT simply because of a political boundary. The New South Wales Premier and I have given a commitment to cross-border cooperation. Accordingly, we in the ACT must ensure that in achieving our internal goals we do not compromise those of New South Wales in the surrounding regions.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .