Page 3043 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 14 September 1993
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The Minister talks further about climate changes due to the depletion of the ozone layer. I would, however, caution the Minister about putting too much emphasis on this, as some doubts exist internationally about the strength of these arguments. According to an article in the June issue of the National Geographic Society's journal Research and Exploration, temperatures are no warmer than they were in the 1860s and 1870s. The magazine reported that in the Northern Hemisphere summers are now no warmer than in the 1860s and 1870s. This was the conclusion of two British scientists who studied 140 years of temperature records. Those two British scientists came to the same conclusion that I have, and that is that climatic conditions are probably more responsible for the change in warming from time to time than the ozone layer. Another article in the Research and Exploration journal suggests that cloudiness is caused by fossil fuel pollution which will gradually diminish. Therefore, people should not become too emotive about the greenhouse effect, as the varied views of atmospheric scientists on global warming show that they are still grappling with major uncertainties in their understanding of its effect.
As I said, we on this side of the house, in general, support the Minister in his efforts in putting the ACT greenhouse strategy together. We look forward to the recently appointed Commissioner for the Environment's first report, which is due in about 10 months' or 12 months' time. We certainly commend the Minister on his efforts in this area. I repeat, Madam Speaker, that we support the Minister's strategy paper presented to the house.
MR MOORE (8.58): I thought I would take a couple of minutes, Madam Speaker, to comment on the very positive things that are presented in the greenhouse strategy and to question some of the issues that have been coming before the public recently in terms of the greenhouse issues and so forth. The particular one I would like to refer to is the Australian Conservation Foundation's statement recently about how the ACT lacked energy efficiency labelling.
I think it is appropriate that the Minister respond to this house in those terms. Energy efficiency labelling is well and truly established in New South Wales under a Liberal government. If such things are important - I think we can all see their significance - then the Minister should, at the very least, adopt that very simple and effective strategy. That is not to take away from the series of suggestions that are contained in this paper that was presented by Mr Wood.
I would also like to draw attention to page 15, where reference is made to current initiatives such as revised regulations to make insulation mandatory in walls and inaccessible areas of all new houses from 3 December 1992. Madam Speaker, you may remember that I tabled in this house some legislation that would have gone a step further than that and made insulation in ceilings compulsory as well. I do not want to reflect on any debate of the Assembly; but, as I recall, it was an area covered by regulation by Mr Wood. Therefore, in the end the issue was dealt with in a different way. The argument there was that appropriate insulation in ceilings as part and parcel of a mortgage would be a much cheaper way of ensuring that first home buyers would be able to make considerable savings after the first two or three years of their home ownership. With those few comments, Madam Speaker, I would like to emphasise that what is contained in this statement is very positive. It will be interesting to see how well the Government goes about implementing it.
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