Page 3351 - Week 11 - Thursday, 22 September 1994
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The first ACT State of the Environment Report glosses over the environmental problems faced by the ACT and raises real questions about the administrative competency of the Environment Minister Bill Wood, according to the Conservation Council of the South-East Region and Canberra. Director of the Conservation Council, Mr Craig Darlington, claimed that the most significant aspects of the Report were the lack of key indicators on the state of the environment in the ACT and the lack of coordination between government agencies responsible for environmental issues.
"The Commissioner for the Environment states in the report that 'ACT Government responsibility for the environment is diverse and not adequately coordinated' and that efficient monitoring processes 'are not yet in place'", Mr Darlington said. "This lack of coordination and the Government's piecemeal approach to both human and natural environments can be laid directly at the Minister's door".
"The Minister inherited a Territory with a majority of its land area in reserves and has had almost three years to get the environmental coordination right, but still we see development occurring against the wishes of the community and the best interest of the natural environment", claimed Mr Darlington.
Although the Environment Minister has claimed that the Report gave the Government high marks on their environmental performance, the Conservation Council contends that the Report actually hides more than it reveals. One example given is the Urban Environment Section that Conservation Council President Jacqui Rees has described as "reading like fairy floss", as it paints a rosy picture but completely ignores the five inquiries into planning that are currently underway in the ACT.
Other issues of concern are:
. The lack of monitoring of benzene (a carcinogen) and manganese compounds which are major pollutants from unleaded fuel;
. The lack of data on levels of airborne particles under 10 microns which can cause permanent lung damage;
. The continued use of aluminium compounds, associated with central nervous system diseases, as a water purifier;
. The lack of a contaminated land register and contaminated land legislation; and
. The Urban section gives no indication of the level of despoliation of urban areas; and
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