Page 2947 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 16 October 2007
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Housing provides individuals in a community with the basis for a stable, healthy and productive life. It also provides a sense of belonging and dignity. Housing affordability is a critical issue, and rental costs and mortgages in the ACT comprise a significant proportion of household budgets. Last year I decided that we could not tolerate a situation where Canberrans with decent jobs were effectively priced out of the housing market. This government set up a steering group to come up with some practical solutions. In April I accepted every one of the group’s recommendations. The result is the most comprehensive plan to tackle housing affordability issues that has ever been attempted by any government in Australia. It has initiatives for those seeking to buy, those renting in the private market, those who use public and community housing and those who require emergency accommodation.
Responding to Canberra’s rapidly ageing population is a challenge that the government is meeting by acquiring, as well as adapting, properties for older people. The construction of 46 public housing units in Turner specifically for older Canberrans will provide high quality, modern, secure housing located close to amenities. More than 10 per cent of public housing stock in the ACT is designated as suitable for older people.
Protecting the natural environment in and around Canberra helps to ensure that it can be enjoyed by future generations. A well-managed environment is also important to our physical and psychological health. As is evident from the progress report, in the ACT we have seen many actions that contribute to our environmental welfare. For example, we have seen the adoption of permanent water conservation measures by the community; the declaration of new nature reserves at Callum Brae and Goorooyarroo; environmentally responsive design principles guiding the new suburb of Forde; the securing of a green star 4 rating for the Alexander Maconochie Centre; and new bicycle parking guidelines.
The government’s new climate change strategy, weathering the change, is an ambitious but achievable strategy. We will invest over $100 million in bold actions to tackle climate change. We know that real action will cost money and resources, but if nothing is done the eventual outcome will be unaffordable in environmental, economic and social terms. We have set a realistic target of a 60 per cent reduction in our emissions by 2050. To measure our progress in reaching this target, the ACT’s aim is to limit emissions in 2025 to the level of emissions in 2000. The government has made a commitment to monitor emissions and report on these emissions over the life of the strategy. We have also given in-principle support for the introduction of an emissions trading scheme and have introduced mandatory requirements that will ensure that all new dwellings in the ACT meet five-star energy ratings and thus reduce energy consumption.
There is arguably no higher priority for the government than securing Canberra’s water supply, drought proofing the territory and reducing dependence on unpredictable rainfall. The government’s think water, act water policy provides long-term guidance for the management of ACT water resources, and a host of initiatives have been pursued to conserve water and reduce demand, including the introduction of new environmental flow guidelines to better reflect the required flows of healthy
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