Page 678 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 24 February 2010
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protect consumers, to protect workers, and we must take heed of those safety warnings and do better to prevent accidents and incidents before they occur.
It is clear that the federal environment department is not Centrelink. This comes to the issue of capacity to roll out programs. At the core of its business is policy development, not program implementation. It does not deal with the public in a service delivery capacity on a day-to-day basis and it is probably not resourced to do so. It is something to consider as we move towards trying to implement our own energy efficiency services here in the ACT: who in our territory is best skilled and best resourced to deliver those services to the community?
The next issue is public information, because it is clear that we must take the public with us. The public need to understand the benefits and be wary of the risks. We cannot let this failure of policy be the last word on energy efficiency and the benefits that it can bring. But we must ensure that the public has the full information to be part of combating the potential for dodgy operators.
The last lesson I want to touch on is the importance of whole-of-government integration. One of the main criticisms I have of the federal government is how they have approached the shift to a green economy—with half a heart, I would suggest. This is demonstrated in the systemic failure of the programs designed to increase green energy production and reduce fossil fuel consumption. This is demonstrated by the stop-start nature of programs, the small scope, the lack of certainty and the lack of ambition in the targets. It is demonstrated by the government’s ongoing investment of billions of dollars to support the development of the coal industry—coal ports, railways and lines.
We simply need to do better than this and have policies that match each other. There is more to be discussed in this matter, but with my remaining time I seek leave to move the amendments, circulated in my name, to Mr Seselja’s motion. They pick up many of the points that I have made in my speech tonight and touch on some of the future issues for the ACT.
Leave granted.
MR RATTENBURY: I move:
(1) Omit paragraphs (1)(c), (d) and (e), substitute:
“(c) the censure of the Federal Government passed by the Senate on 23 February 2010 in regard to its gross and systematic failure in the Federal Government’s delivery of climate change programs, including home insulation, green loans, solar rebate, renewable remote power generation program and the renewable energy target;
(d) with concern, the failure of ACT Government to provide warnings to ACT consumers and installers between April 2009 and September 2009 about the specific risks that State and Territory officials had raised with the Federal Government about the Federal Government’s Home Insulation Program; and
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