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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (4 December) . . Page.. 4586 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

I would like to use this opportunity to thank our Department of Business, the Arts, Sport and Tourism, particularly Adam Stankevicius, the CES, the ACT and Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Canberra Business Council, and the Youth Coalition - John Gregg, in particular - for really getting behind this community-based idea, because there are 500 Canberrans out there that possibly would not have had a job and would not be out there developing new skills if it had not been for this project.

Some people thought it was an impossible task. I have to say that I was not confident that we would make 500 by Christmas. But I know that all of those opposite just wanted it to fail. They still cannot say, "Congratulations". I think that is really sad, Mr Speaker. But it has not failed, and it has created a partnership worth building on. Mr Speaker, I can advise that the Government plans to extend the Youth500 scheme until Christmas, as we always said we would and in keeping with our original commitment, because we are aware that there are other employers who want to take part in the project and there are young Canberrans under the age of 21 who are keen and ready to enter the work force. Indeed, Mr Speaker, we may have to rename the program Youth600 before Christmas. I think this is really exciting. It shows that an idea that came from a joint community forum via a government that was willing to work in that arena can really achieve great ends for young people in Canberra.

MRS LITTLEWOOD: I wish to ask a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. I ask the Chief Minister whether she would be good enough to pass on my congratulations to those involved.

MRS CARNELL: Yes.

MS TUCKER: My question is directed to the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning, Mr Humphries, and relates to the Minister's announcement of a greenhouse gas reduction target for the ACT. Basically, my question is about the detail of the target. Our original motion requested that the target include greenhouse gases emitted outside the ACT as a result of electricity use within the ACT because, obviously, the ACT does not have its own power station. Could you tell us whether the target you have announced includes a reduction in those gases as well?

Mr Humphries: In those gases?

MS TUCKER: The ones that are produced in the production of the electricity which we use here but which is produced outside the ACT. That was our original motion.

MR HUMPHRIES: The answer is yes.

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