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The budget for policing services has been maintained at current levels while significant restructuring of Australian Federal Police operations takes place. Already this has resulted in the redeployment of 24 extra police onto Canberra's streets. Further changes will be subject to discussion between the Minister for Police and the AFP. Coordination of emergency services, too, has been enhanced following our decision in March to transfer the ACT Ambulance Service out of the Health Department. The high standards of these services will be improved by this Government with increased funding to maintain Fire Brigade response times, and the construction of accommodation for a fifth ambulance crew at Fyshwick Fire Station. It is worth noting, too, that the Fire Brigade expects to install 15,000 smoke alarms this year alone, as part of our commitment to install alarms in all ACT Housing properties. The most significant development in this area over the next three years will, of course, be the provision of a medical rescue helicopter service, to be jointly funded by the ACT and New South Wales governments and the private sector.

The delivery of local government services to Canberra's 300,000 residents will also undergo significant change during this three-year budget framework. Consistent with our commitment to secure the best deal for taxpayers, the Department of Urban Services will separate its role as a purchaser of services from its role as a provider. Competitive tendering will enable the department to choose from a range of service providers, depending upon the quality of the service and the cost of that service. Major changes that will occur over the next three years include the amalgamation of City Parks with City Operations to deliver more efficient municipal services, the introduction of random vehicle inspections, resulting in savings from the closure of the Phillip Vehicle Testing Station, and the extension of the popular precinct management system to give local communities more input into strategies to revitalise their neighbourhood shopping centres.

Our budget strategy also incorporates initiatives to improve waste management with the long-term aim of reducing the amount of waste going to landfills by 50 per cent by the year 2000. One of these initiatives will be the provision of compost bins to Canberrans at cost price, for $25 each. Backyard composting has the potential to substantially reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. Following the introduction of compost bins as part of our waste management strategy, an environmental charge will be levied on the disposal of residential waste at landfills to apply from 1 January 1996. The reduction in waste production will enable the closure of Ainslie Transfer Station, which will realise considerable savings.

This coming year will see the finalisation of a long awaited draft strategy for the promotion of the ACT's national parks, focusing on the potential for ecotourism. The Environment and Land Bureau will release draft integrated environment protection legislation and, with the assistance of additional funding, will also complete the assessment of all known sheep dip sites in residential areas that have the potential to affect housing.

I am pleased to report that about 100 hectares of primary native grassland will be added to the Territory's conservation reserves this year. This will be the first substantial area of grassland to be protected in this way in the ACT. Conservation areas will be established in Gungahlin for the endangered striped legless lizard, while research will be continued

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