Page 269 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 7 March 2007
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ownership. It is for our own children and subsequent generations that we have to ensure that the environment—
Mr Hargreaves: Have you got green power on at your place?
MR MULCAHY: I do not have any grandchildren yet, but—
Mr Hargreaves: Have you got any green power on at your place?
MR MULCAHY: Green power at my place? I have got green lights.
MR SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr Mulcahy has the floor.
MR MULCAHY: In conclusion, it rests with this territory government to get on with the job of producing this strategy, getting it out there, ensuring that there is ample public consideration of it and ensuring that it does contain measures that are realistic, that are achievable and that will improve the society in which we live.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation and Minister for Industrial Relations) (12.06): I thank Mr Mulcahy for raising the issue of developing a broad-based and coordinated approach. When Dr Foskey brought this motion on this morning, I thought it would be appropriate to make some observations around the ACT education system and how we are seeking to embrace ecological sustainability within our education system, in our school buildings and also through our curriculum in terms of educating the next generation of Canberrans on the importance of looking after our environment. As Mrs Dunne has noted, I have raised this issue before, but—
Mr Hargreaves: That is why she is hiding over there.
MR BARR: That is why she is hiding over there in the corner. It is important to take this opportunity to put some of the achievements on the record again and to look forward to how the government will be expending our $90 million capital injection into government schools—an injection that I note Mrs Dunne has described as throwing good money after bad.
I would like to note that we are promoting a whole of building approach in our schools—something that Mrs Dunne has noted—when we look at the design and upgrade of our facilities and also in building new school facilities. The sustainable design approach is about making buildings more energy efficient, improving their air quality and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. This approach is being incorporated into our existing buildings and, of course, in all new buildings.
An example is the new Harrison school, which, members would be aware, the ACT government funded with over $21 million in this year’s budget. It is being built with a green building approach. Emphasis is being given to making the building energy efficient, improving air quality, capturing and storing rainwater for recycling, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The design features of the school will address ecological sustainability and the issues of greenhouse gas emissions and climate
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