Page 1561 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 17 May 1994
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Clearly, the goal the committee set out to achieve in turning around attitudes to the environment, and particularly to electricity, has been taken up with enthusiasm by the Government. That was clear even at the time of the discussion paper and the report. The Government, and officers in ACT Electricity and Water particularly, were also positive in their response to the work of the committee. Seeing the lengthy response the Government has prepared and the statement by the Minister gives me a great deal of pleasure, knowing that the process not only has been adopted but also has been continued. It was always seen as a process, and the fact that the Government has continued and enlarged on the process is a delight.
I would like to draw attention to two small things in the Minister's speech. On page 6 of the speech distributed by the Minister he states:
The ACT Government does not support the recommendation to legislate for a minimum quantity of electrical energy to be supplied from renewable sources by the year 2000.
There was considerable debate in the committee as to whether or not we would use this approach. The intention of the committee was to set a very strong goal that government would meet. It is quite clear that no government would want to be held to such a goal. Had nothing been done, I would have been inclined to go to members of the Assembly other than those from the Government and say, "We ought to set the goal anyway"; but, with such a positive response to the general direction of the committee, I think that could appropriately be put on the back burner to see how well the response of the Government continues and to assess the enthusiasm expressed by the Minister and in the report. It is something the committee will continue to monitor and to assess.
The other point I would like to raise is that the Minister, who is the Minister responsible for the Housing Trust as well, said in the first paragraph on page 9 of his speech:
The ACT Housing Trust is committed to upgrading heating equipment in its properties as part of its cyclical maintenance and upgrade programs. For example, inefficient oil heaters are being replaced by electrical and gas heating, thus reducing emissions.
I think most of us are conscious that gas heating produces significantly less emission than electrical heating, and I hope that the emphasis will be on gas heating where possible. There are small circumstances where electrical heating is appropriate, and I agree with that, but a cheaper, more efficient, more environmentally friendly method is gas heating. I hope that the Minister is encouraging the Housing Trust to use gas heating as a priority where that is possible. In conclusion, I think the committee ought to be very pleased with the Government's response to its report and the fact that that work is continuing.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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