Page 5241 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 18 November 2009
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(3) notes the failure of leadership by the Stanhope Government particularly:
(a) in 2004 the Stanhope Government abandoned all work on the ACT’s Greenhouse Strategy;
(b) in 2005 threw out the ACT’s Greenhouse Strategy until 2007; and
(c) the Stanhope Government’s 2007 strategy was widely criticised for refusing to set interim targets or to adopt any meaningful strategies or initiatives to reduce our long-term greenhouse emissions;
(4) notes that there is now general agreement to legislate to set climate change targets; and
(5) calls on the ACT Government to set strong and achievable medium-term targets which take into account the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and international developments.”.
Ms Porter had a lot to say about the need for a consensus, particularly towards the latter part of her speech. That is a goal that we share as well. But look at the statements that we get from time to time. We had them again from Ms Porter and Mr Corbell. They say one thing but they seem intent on trying to manufacture divisions on certain issues.
Let us look broadly at the issue of climate change. If we are going to say, “Let’s come together and address this serious challenge,” then we need to acknowledge what has gone on in the past. We need to acknowledge the fact that there has been significant leadership shown on this issue by the Canberra Liberals. Mr Corbell should acknowledge that when he gets up as minister. That should be the first thing that he does.
There is no doubt that, both in government and in opposition, we have shown leadership on this issue. I will go through, in some detail, some of that leadership that we have seen. We can go back to 1997, when other governments around the country were doing nothing on this issue—or doing very little on this issue. In 1997, the ACT government—the Canberra Liberal ACT government—became the first government in Australia to sign up to targets for greenhouse gas reduction to 1990 levels by 2008 and a 20 per cent reduction on these levels by 2018. That was a significant leadership position and that should be acknowledged. Before it was popular, before it was something that the majority of the community really supported and was engaged in, there was leadership being shown here in the ACT by the Canberra Liberals—significant leadership. That should be acknowledged.
We have also—indeed, from opposition—put forward legislation to set very strong targets. We have had a position from the Labor Party on that that has been unclear. When we have introduced this in the past, it has appeared from their statements that they have not supported that—that they have not supported that 30 per cent target that was put forward. We can only assume from that that they thought it was too strong at the time. You would think that, if you were not going to set one—if your position was that you were not going to set one for a few years, but you thought that the 30 per cent
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