Page 1508 - Week 05 - Thursday, 12 May 1994
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One of the features of the Minister's speech which struck me was the quantity of guidelines, strategies and draft legislation which have been or are being developed. We have, among others, the ACT environment strategy, the bicycle strategy, the urban consolidation study, the nature conservation strategy, an ACT future water supply strategy, a waste management strategy, state of the environment reports, Lower Molonglo water treatment improvement plans, and a discussion paper on the Government's intention to prepare integrated environment pollution control legislation. We also have National Capital Planning Authority initiatives to consider, such as the draft management plan for Lake Burley Griffin. In addition, guidelines are being developed which supplement the Territory Plan, we have a greenhouse strategy, and we are looking at developing endangered species legislation.
Madam Speaker, I look forward to seeing the results of this work, and I expect that the community will also take a keen interest in it. I also welcome the intention of the ACT Commissioner for the Environment to produce an ACT state of the environment report at the end of this financial year, and I expect this report to show us where we have got to so far and what is yet to be done. What I expect to see in the course of the examination of so many issues is an adaptable and flexible method for dealing with community input. I know that the processes of community consultation can be difficult to work through. Those people who are interested may come forward and participate, but often they do not understand the extent to which they can influence the final decision. In many cases people may go away from the process feeling disappointed and cynical, having formed the view that their point of view has not been listened to because the consultation process was inappropriate to their needs.
It is not possible to dictate an approach that must be taken in each and every community consultation, as each different type of document, guideline or strategy will address different issues, will involve different concerned groups, and will need to be designed to best involve all stakeholders. It is indeed an issue, Madam Speaker, which the Chief Minister is still currently examining. Our community is highly educated, highly motivated and, above all, interested in what is happening in the ACT; so I would urge the Government to continue to make a sustained effort to involve the community in the development of the strategies and guidelines which will shape and serve our city into the future. I am also sure that the Government is pursuing the use of the large number of experts and academics in the ACT who specialise in environmental issues. I would welcome more information as to how the ACT Government draws on this pool of resources to help inform its policy making.
Turning to the Minister's speech, Madam Speaker, Mr Wood, as he should, made much of the environment budget of 1993-94. It is a document which indicates that the Government is keen to preserve what is one of the Territory's major assets, the environment. The Minister rightly asserts that the vision outlined in the 2020 document depends on ecological sustainability, and that the members of the Canberra community have a responsibility to manage the environment to achieve this goal. I am very pleased that the Minister has adopted a cautious and considered approach in addressing environmental issues, as it is very true that by destroying parts of the environment we risk losing not only that area or piece of land but also its potential for harbouring wildlife, plant species, insects and all the other elements that contribute to the effective ecosystem. To quote the Minister:
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