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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (24 June) . . Page.. 1978 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Gas Act - Determination of fees - No. 102 of 1997 (S165, dated 12 June 1997).

Nature Conservation Act - Determination of fees - Access to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve - No. 111 of 1997 (S171, dated 20 June 1997).

Taxation (Administration) Act - Determination to reduce the rate of Financial Institutions Duty - No. 101 of 1997 (S164, dated 12 June 1997).

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (3.33): For the information of members, I present the Government's response to Report No. 25 of the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment entitled "The 1995 ACT State of the Environment Report and the Government's Response", which was presented to the Assembly on 18 February 1997. I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

I also present, pursuant to section 30A of the Interpretation Act 1967, a letter from the Commissioner for the Environment relating to the furnishing of a State of the Environment Report for the period ending 30 June 1997 and my response to that letter.

Mr Speaker, I have just tabled the Government's response to Report No. 25. The response builds further on the Government's record of continually improving the transparency and accountability of our management of the environment in the ACT and region. The Government has already moved to implement some of the committee's recommendations, such as improving the transparency of the Commissioner for the Environment's funding arrangements. As the continuing independence of the commissioner is crucial, this transparency has been achieved by including the commissioner's financial details in the budget papers as an expense on behalf of the Territory.

The Government disagrees with only one of the committee's recommendations. This concerns the amendment of legislation to automatically refer the commissioner's report and the Government's response to an appropriate Assembly committee. The Government recognises and supports the important role of the Assembly's committees in researching and reviewing public policies. The Planning and Environment Committee is already able to inquire into and report on the ACT State of the Environment Report and the Government's response, whenever it sees fit, under the terms of its resolution of appointment.

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