Page 2007 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 5 June 1990
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There is still scope for improving the recycling of forest products, and I hope that we will be able to build on the trials of recycled paper which I commenced a year ago. I note, however, that with the closure of the Ainslie Transfer Station this Government has apparently not provided any alternative paper recycling facilities on the north side.
Earlier I mentioned the need to plant more trees. This is not only desirable from a soil conservation point of view but it can also be a contributor to tackling greenhouse questions as, particularly in their early years, trees are a valuable absorber and fixer of atmospheric carbon. While wood fires are undesirable as a major local polluter, it is unlikely that we will totally eliminate this form of heating in the near future. We should therefore investigate the possibilities of native fuel hardwood plantations to ensure that our firewood needs are not helping to defoliate the rest of the country.
There are many other resource questions that any responsible community needs to remember. I have said before that we should discourage the excessive use of non-renewable resources. I believe that the pricing structure for domestic energy sources like electricity and gas should be examined with a view to discouraging waste. This should not mean price increases for average domestic users but it should be possible to introduce a pricing mechanism which both protects average users of domestic power and penalises those who are simply wasteful.
The need to conserve resources should also lead us to take further steps to encourage public transport use and to introduce reasonable standards for energy efficiency and building design. In addition we can look at regulating excessive consumer packaging and also at promoting increased recycling of plastics. I was particularly pleased to announce at this time last year that the ACT was now using recycled plastic in park benches.
In conclusion, I believe that the environment issues will really show the difference between a government with an accountant mentality and a government which acts for the public interest and the public good. There is a great danger that environmental issues which do not provide an obvious dollar benefit to the Government or the community will suffer in the Government's current round of budget destruction. With the exception of today's announcement, we have seen little real action from the Government in environmental matters. For example, I ask: where is the environmental impact legislation which has been promised as part of the planning package, and indeed where is the planning package?
Members interjected.
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