Page 3794 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 22 November 2006
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new strategy, the government has already been active in promoting sustainability in the wider community.
In the energy field, the home energy advisory team and ACT energy wise program provide free householder advice and subsidised energy audits and rebates to encourage energy efficiency and emission reductions. This can be achieved in simple ways like changing light globes to more efficient, compact fluorescent light globes. They use a quarter of the energy of regular lights, last for years and actually produce more light, as Mr Mulcahy has demonstrated. There is an amount of energy wasted due to the laziness of people in not turning off lights and other electrical appliances when not in use. This could amount to a significant saving in electricity.
Individuals can and should take advantage of the ACT government’s home energy advisory service. That provides advice to residents and small businesses on energy efficiency measures. It is funded at $140,000 per year. The home energy advice service responded to 5,548 inquiries between 2002-03 and 2005-06. It will continue to be useful for people to take individual action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The first signs of unavoidable and adverse climate changes are being observed locally, and will develop progressively over future decades. The current government initiatives are important in combating climate change. However, there is definite scope for improvement and expansion of these programs. The combination of government policy and awareness raising in the community will ensure the ACT is doing all it can to combat climate change.
MR MULCAHY (Molonglo) (4.42): The opposition will be pleased to support Mr Gentleman’s motion today. The motion is timely, given the current level of debate and given comments from the opposition earlier this week.
It is a real pleasure to see that the ACT government is starting to come to terms with environmental issues on this scale. Whilst I probably will not be disposed to getting excited about the achievements of the Stanhope government in these areas, I do not have a major problem with the general sentiments contained in this motion. I would like to see a much clearer enunciation of what the government strategy is, which I understand is coming at Christmas. It has taken some time, especially given the political capital the Chief Minister sought to gain by going on about the previous Liberal government strategy and the cost. I think it is a case of put up or shut up. If you are going to tear down what was there before—and I am not necessarily an advocate of what was in place previously—I think it is very important to have something else in its place.
I think you would have to be living back in the dark ages if you were not willing to recognise significant climate issues. You can debate all day the causes of those things, but they are presenting issues for our society at present. I like, in particular, the third point of Mr Gentleman’s motion:
that the Canberra public is educated about climate change and what they can do on a grass roots level to contribute to a cleaner world.
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