Page 1663 - Week 06 - Thursday, 20 May 1993
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I congratulate the Government for responding in a positive way to the report by agreeing, at least in principle, to most of the committee's recommendations. I believe the report to be sensible in that it has not attempted to outlaw this form of heating, which many people find pleasurable and an excellent source of heating. However, on the other hand, the report does address questions of concern relating to pollution and possible effects on health. It provides some very positive recommendations and suggestions on how it is possible to have this source of heating and to minimise the pollution and health risks.
Fuelwood heating obviously is an area that we will have to monitor very carefully, especially in the years to come, and the committee also has made recommendations in that regard. There are questions of monitoring air quality and I note from the Minister's response to the report that action already has been taken in this regard. I believe that it will be essential that the matter of fuelwood supplies be addressed sooner rather than later. We need to ensure not only that the supplies of firewood coming into the ACT are of good quality but also that we keep an eye on pricing. We obviously also need to give considerable thought to more long-term sources of fuelwood, including by looking at the use of softwood off-cuts or by-products from our forestry operation in the ACT. On a recent visit to New Zealand I noticed that they have recommended eucalypt plantations partly for firewood and partly for pulp, and maybe that is something we could consider. I note the committee's recommendation in this regard as well.
The current Standing Committee on Conservation, Heritage and Environment, of which I am a member, has made recommendations in terms of improving the energy efficiency of houses, and the proposed legislation regarding insulation of new houses has been debated and already supported and passed by this Assembly. Madam Speaker, I support report No. 4 of the Standing Committee on Conservation, Heritage and Environment, and I commend the Government's response to it.
MR MOORE (12.03): I rise with great pleasure because I was chair of the Standing Committee on Conservation, Heritage and Environment in the previous Assembly when report No. 4 was brought down. It is a matter that I continue to have some interest in. I welcome the Government's very positive response to the committee's report. I might take this opportunity to remind members that the method used to deal with this inquiry was to put out a discussion paper in the first place. Members may recall the discussion paper called "The Burning Question - A Discussion Paper on Fuelwood Heating in the ACT". That was produced after some consultation with the community and a series of submissions made to the community. Groups then had the opportunity to see the way that the committee was thinking and they responded to the committee, drawing our attention to some things that we might like to modify and change, and indeed we did so after speaking to those community members and groups, particularly in public hearings. The result of that was a report which was rather extensive, was welcomed by the community and is now almost entirely supported by the Government.
I think it reflects the consultation process in this Assembly working very well. Recently in the Canberra Times I noted a commentary about how well the Assembly committees have worked - in both Assemblies. I think that, when people judge this Assembly in terms of its council-like state or its being like a State government, one of the things they really should look at is the committees.
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