Page 2102 - Week 06 - Thursday, 7 May 2009
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The ACT Greens are a political reality. We have entered the Legislative Assembly on the back of significant and growing community concern about the way the country, and the territory, is managing its natural resources. Of course, with four Greens in the Assembly it is not surprising to see that the government has moved in this budget to shore up its environmental credentials, and the Greens welcome the commitment.
Spending on the environment does not just deliver benefits for the environment; it also delivers benefits for the economy and our community. We are at a time in our history where this is becoming clearer. The challenges of climate change are massive, as are the challenges of sustainable water supply both for human consumption and for the health of our natural environment. We all want to see a Canberra that is a model of sustainable living in the 21st century. Our natural environment needs investment. It will not just look after itself. We must take serious action to cut our greenhouse gas emissions and continue to think about how we can minimise our use of water.
A number of the government’s announcements were in the ALP-Greens agreement. Expanding the urban wetlands program and the establishment of a one-stop shop to help householders implement water and energy efficiency savings are two big ticket items. There is no doubt more could be done to build a network of urban wetlands so we can capture and use our stormwater for community purposes, as well as create natural waterways that build the ambience of our city. The $13.9 million allocated by the government will kick this project along in locations around Canberra.
We have already seen how the work along Sullivans Creek has not only restored the creek to its original state but also improved the local amenity while delivering water for local sporting fields. We want to see that money is spent on not just building ponds but also replacing concrete stormwater drains with natural creeks. This is the kind of infrastructure spending that delivers long-term benefits on a range of fronts—environmental, social and economic—and that is essentially what the green new deal is all about.
The other major environment announcement is the $19 million over four years to consolidate energy and water efficiency programs for householders. The government has talked about the switch your thinking program being a one-stop shop and online portal for people to access information and education about efficiency. But we do hope and assume that, with the level of funding that has been announced in this budget, the program is less about thinking and far more about action.
People find it very challenging to navigate the efficiency rebates and programs on offer from the ACT and federal governments, so any help on that front will be useful. But the success of this program will not be about how many brochures have been given to people in the ACT on energy efficiency or how many people have clicked onto the website, but about how many homes are water and energy efficient at the end of four years.
In all of this it is essential that the government ensures that the poorest in our community do not get left behind. Sustainability measures are not just for the wealthy or the middle class. Often families that live in cheaper rental accommodation have
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