Page 2117 - Week 06 - Thursday, 7 May 2009
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The second reason is that we must get value for money on climate spending. While there is merit in funding climate adaptation, the priority must be actioned to reduce emissions and transition Canberra to a clean energy economy. Luckily for the government, 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 both for human consumption and for the health of our natural environment. Our natural environment needs solid, ongoing investment; it will not just look after itself. We must take serious action to cut our greenhouse emissions, ensure sustainable water management and build resilience.
So while it is pleasing to see that the government are beginning to refocus on the environment, they have plenty of ground to make up. The outcomes of the climate targets inquiry and the ensuing energy policy for the ACT will likely require strong policy responses that will need to be backed up by much more significant investment by the government over the years ahead.
I would like to turn briefly to sport. I welcome the new facilities identified in the budget which reflect the Labor Party’s promises during the election campaign. I do, however, note that they are being developed in the absence of a clear strategy for sports facilities in the ACT. As I noted in a recent matter of public importance, there is still a clear need for an audit of ACT sports facilities. Once we have that we can then develop a five to 10-year plan in partnership with stakeholders and create a clear future plan that sporting organisations across the ACT can then rely on.
We need to know not only what we are doing now but what we are heading to in the future. We also need to ensure that we adequately resource our sporting organisations, many of which already operate on the smell of an oily rag and a bucket of volunteer time, so that we get the possible usage of the facilities that we build.
With regard to tourism, the Greens welcome the investment in a major new autumn event and look forward to seeing some details. And real details are needed. The recent so-called strategic plan for Floriade was so short of details that it was hardly worth printing. Do not get me wrong; the document had all the right words, but it did not contain any specifics, let alone targets or other measurable benchmarks. We need this sort of transparency so we can test that we are making the right investments in tourism because this industry is a vital part of our local economy and a key source of diversification.
With regard to justice and community safety, the overall picture for the JACS portfolio is quite positive. The department has retained its funding and has instituted some welcome reforms and initiatives which it is to be hoped will enhance the delivery of services and help the department to better meet its new performance indicators. It always has to be remembered that behind those performance indicators lie real people with real problems.
For instance, the conviction rate for sexual offences committed against children is appallingly low when compared to the number of charges and, even more so, when
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