Page 3359 - Week 11 - Thursday, 22 September 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
I must say that the recent video and the work of the ACT Electricity and Water Authority in dealing with water revealed a sensible approach. The only hiccup in that relatively sensible approach, I think, was that the Electricity and Water Authority decided on a weird system for charging for water. I must be careful that I do not reflect on a vote of the Assembly. I shall take great care in saying that we should look to a time when we are charging people for water based on the amount of water they use, in the same way that we do for electricity. The Electricity and Water Authority, in order to do this, should be working out a progressive system of installing meters in all urban residences to ensure that that can be implemented.
I would like to conclude this afternoon, Madam Speaker, by mentioning two issues. Mrs Grassby thinks that the Minister has green blood running through his veins. Maybe one of his relatives slit their wrists in the fountain outside that has gone green. For the sake of Hansard, that is going to be difficult for somebody reading it later, is it not? They will not realise that, because of the pending victory by the Raiders, the department, I presume, has coloured the water in the fountain outside green.
Madam Speaker, in spite of that, I remind the Minister that we still have a soft attitude on the insulation of ceilings in housing. That is an issue that I have raised in this Assembly. I feel that it has been dealt with in an unsatisfactory way and there is much left to be desired. The other thing that I think is critical is the issue of the urban environment. I raised the issue of how much development, where, and when, and no doubt you will hear more about that a few more times before the year is out. Whatever approach we take in terms of infill we still have to ensure that we have enough room for people to plant plenty of trees, to have their grass around them and to have their amenity. People are also part of the environment and their urban amenity is critical. The thing I enjoy most when flying back into Canberra, Madam Speaker, is looking down and seeing trees with a few houses intermingled, except in the newer suburbs that have not got to that stage. When you are flying out of Sydney or Melbourne you see roofs with a few trees intermingled. I think we have to be very careful to ensure - - -
Mr Cornwell: You must always get a window seat.
MR MOORE: I insist on a window seat, Mr Cornwell, unless I am very late. Madam Speaker, in conclusion, that is something that we have to protect, and that is what we will do.
MR WOOD (Minister for Education and Training, Minister for the Arts and Heritage and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (5.21): Madam Speaker, I will make a few comments in response to those made by my colleagues. I thank them for their views. Let me acknowledge that, in common with the ACT community, members of this Assembly do afford a very high priority to environmental matters. I think Mr Moore was talking to me at the time and I did not fully hear what Mr Stefaniak said. I think he was quoting someone who was claiming that animals have died downstream from the ACT because of effluent from our tips. If that was what someone else was claiming - and Mr Stefaniak nods - that claim is simply wrong. It is based either on prejudice or on lack of knowledge of what happens.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .