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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (4 September) . . Page.. 3093 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

We believe it is vital to the success of the overall strategy that we respond to the role of local government and develop measures which it is possible for local government to contribute to. As I said, the ACT, jointly with the Local Government Association, is working on that project as part of the national scheme.

Mr Speaker, I indicate the Government's support. I think that the ACT at the present time, without having the benefit of any test to verify what I say, is able to say that it is leading in this area. We have probably done more, taking into account the housing energy rating scheme and other measures, to deal with those sorts of emissions in the ACT context, than the average jurisdiction; but I think the point of the motion that Ms Tucker has put forward is that simply keeping up with the pack is not enough. We need to put in a better effort, and I hope that we can, in fact, do so once the essential work on the greenhouse inventory is completed and we are able, on the basis of sound research, to set ourselves targets and comply with those targets.

MR WHITECROSS (Leader of the Opposition) (5.22): Mr Speaker, I rise briefly to support Ms Tucker's motion. There can be no doubt that the issues of climate change arising from greenhouse are real and need to be taken seriously by the nations of the world and by all of us individually and in our respective levels of government. In our region, these issues need to be taken all the more seriously, because many of the countries in our region are very directly affected by the rising sea levels, which are one of the consequences of global warming. It is important for us to take this matter seriously.

Mr Speaker, it is also important for those of us in developed countries to exercise some leadership in this regard. If we are to pursue these issues, we must encourage the full range of countries to take issues like greenhouse seriously; we must exercise leadership. One of the more disturbing and disappointing things, I think, for me and for those of us on the Labor side here is when Federal governments, both Labor and Liberal, go soft on this issue and start to engage in special pleading on behalf of Australia as to why we should not have to meet targets in relation to greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Moore: But in this case, particularly, the Liberal Government.

MR WHITECROSS: It is a Liberal government now; but, as I said, I am equally happy to express my disappointment that there was softness on the part of the previous Labor Government as well on this issue. Mr Speaker, not least among the reasons for the Federal Government ending up in a position of some weakness on this is a lack of energetic, proactive strategy to address the problem of greenhouse gas emissions, which really left Australia in a position where they could not meet their targets and, therefore, wanted to engage in this kind of special pleading.

Mr Speaker, it is important for governments to act positively. A key element of that has to be, as Mr Humphries said, getting a handle on what our current contribution is so that we can set realistic targets; otherwise we are not in a position to act positively. There is no doubt that we have done things in the past, as Mr Humphries mentioned, but there is more that can be done. Mr Speaker, not least among the things that we can do - and, of course, there are a lot - is this: We can have a better public transport system which encourages people to catch the buses instead of driving their cars. It is a pity there are no members of the Government here to actually hear this. Never mind!

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