Page 4845 - Week 11 - Thursday, 21 October 2010
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whole-of-school approach that is raising awareness among the next generations about climate change. Focusing on our school management of resources and facilities, significant improvements have been delivered. For example, Bonython primary have increased the amount of waste recycles from 18 per cent to 50 per cent while St Francis Xavier College has gone from no recycling to 69 per cent of waste being recycled. The AuSSI team, the Australian sustainable schools initiative, is conducting energy audits to help improve energy efficiency and usage. Further, this Labor government is investing $4 million in rainwater tanks and solar panel installations on schools.
The Stanhope Labor government is in the process of developing action plan No 2 of its climate change strategy. Partnerships will be central to the implementation of action plan No 2.
All sectors of the ACT have a part to play in ensuring that we are equipped to face a low carbon future. We will need to implement strategies to reduce our emissions further, to adapt our infrastructure and services to unavoidable climate change, to equip the ACT government and businesses to operate in a carbon-constrained economy, to profit from the development of new and emerging industries and sectors, and to raise awareness and understanding through the community about what can be done at the individual household, organisation, business and government levels to effect positive change. Action plan 2 will also put in a robust reporting system to enable better informed decision making and to increase accountability and transparency.
In conclusion, climate change is happening. I do not recall it being a very big issue of discussion when I first was elected to this place in 1998. We would talk about some things which we now know contribute adversely to climate change—for example, the inversion layer across Tuggeranong in the wintertime. That is why the government actually moved fairly early on to address wood smoke from wood heaters, allowing for the fact that we had to manage people out of a business. You cannot just kill it overnight. We knew that.
That is why Mr Corbell, in his original capacity, was the one who delivered the cyclepaths and the on-road cyclepaths. I remember actually promising on behalf of the then Labor opposition in 2000 for the 2001 election that we would provide these on-road cyclepaths. I have to tell you that Mr Corbell and I shared responsibility for certain elements of the DUS but it was Mr Corbell’s initiative and it was his vision that enabled me to go forward and promise this to the Canberra community, and it was delivered. That was the good news.
Not only has it been delivered; there is now an expectation on the part of the community that it will be expanded. I said at the time that we would make it policy that any new roads and any major refurbishments would naturally enough include cyclepaths. I tried to paint the mind picture of the old days when you would be driving your car down the road to be confronted by three Lycra-clad cyclists in the middle of the road. It is a very dangerous place to be if you are on a bike. The cyclepaths not only meant that it was an enjoyable ride; it was a quicker ride and it was also a safer ride.
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