Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 2 Hansard (29 February) . . Page.. 463 ..

MR KAINE (continuing):

fly around the world today. By the time we get around to the notion of upgrading our airport to be an international standard airport to accommodate jumbo jets, we will find that we are a generation behind and have to start expanding it again. That would indicate to me that places like Badgery's Creek, if it eventuates, will constantly leave us behind the eight ball instead of ahead of it.

I think that we have to be realistic and look at the future of Canberra Airport in other ways, and an international freight terminal might be a solution. If neither of those things is possible, then what do we want our airport to be? We need to do some thinking about that, and that, to some degree, is contingent upon the Commonwealth's intentions in so far as maintaining the ownership of the airport or selling it are concerned. I thought, and the committee thought, that there are some major issues involved in that that deserve to have some Government attention focused upon them. That is why we tabled the report in the Assembly in the first place.

I note that the Government has established a task force which presumably is looking at those issues. The chairman of that task force is a knowledgeable and eminent person, retired Air Marshal Richard Bomball, who is eminently qualified, with his other members, to advise the Government on these issues. I am sure that we can look forward to a most interesting report when that is brought forward by the Government to this place for debate. I look forward to it with great interest.

MS TUCKER (11.25): In the Government response to the report "`The Future of Airports in Australia' Conference" Mr De Domenico asked, "What in the overall development of a transport strategy for the ACT is the role of the Canberra Airport?". The Greens will have to remind the Government again that there is another question that needs to be asked. What, in an overall ecologically sustainable regional transport strategy, is the role of the Canberra Airport, and how does this fit in not only with our local environmental responsibilities but also with our global responsibilities?

I have noticed that the term "sustainable" pops up every now and again in Government papers, and I recall the difficulty Mr De Domenico had in the Estimates Committee in explaining its meaning. This term has been criticised as being ambiguous and open to different interpretations. Sustainable economic development and sustainable ecological development are too often used interchangeably. The former term all too often completely ignores the environmental component. An accepted definition is development that improves the quality of life, both now and in the future, in a way that maintains the ecological processes on which life depends. That is what we in the Greens are asking this Government to seriously integrate into their policies and decisions.

Transport is a very difficult issue because, at the moment, nearly all our transportation is based on non-renewable resources. In the strictest sense, they cannot be used sustainably because they will eventually run out, but we can extend their life by prudent use. It is interesting to note that in the report of the ESD transport working group the first recommendation was:

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .