Page 1445 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 6 May 2008
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climate change, reduce our reliance on precious resources such as water, and develop new solutions and new technologies.
There’s a $2.5 million co-investment in a climate change adaptation centre of excellence at the ANU. The centre will bring together acknowledged world leaders to explore ways in which we can adapt our way of living and doing business.
There’s $3 million for energy-efficient street lighting, which will reduce energy usage by 2.8 million kilowatt hours a year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 3,000 tonnes a year. That’s like taking around 1,000 cars off the road.
There’s $1.7 million for the visionary East Lake Urban Renewal sustainable design and planning project.
As a Territory we currently use about 2 billion litres of water a year to keep government sportsgrounds and school facilities green and playable.
Last summer, 23 grounds were closed by drought. In the event of Stage 4 water restrictions, only 47 out of the 229 ACT Government sportsgrounds and school facilities would remain open for use—only about 21 per cent.
The ‘Where Will We Play?’ initiative, funded in this Budget to the tune of $16 million, is planting drought-resistant and low-water-use grasses, laying artificial playing surfaces and developing non potable watering solutions for our much-loved sportsgrounds and school ovals. The goal is to wean our sportsgrounds off their reliance on potable water.
Ovals are not the only things to have suffered to a wrenching degree from prolonged drought. Our trees—the trees that distinguish us as a city—have suffered too.
The 2008-09 Budget provides further support to ensure our urban forests are maintained and replaced.
A million trees will be planted over a period of a decade, in our forests and in our suburbs, with benefits for our environment and our city soul. The ‘One Million’ Trees initiative will result in carbon sequestration of another 3,300 tonnes of greenhouse gases.
Today’s Budget allocates more than $24 million for additional tree plantings across the city and $10.6 million for the next stage of the ‘One Million Trees’ initiative, as well as a $731,000 boost to the urban forest replacement program.
Mr Speaker, Building the Future invests $100 million in our urban amenity—ensuring that the things we love about our home continue to make us a destination of choice for others seeking a better lifestyle.
Quality municipal services and infrastructure have always set Canberra apart from other urban centres.
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