Page 1906 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2011
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the study for public comment on 17 September last year, and submissions were invited.
Representatives from the business, industry and development area of the Chief Minister’s Department consulted with the community during October and November—
Ms Hunter: Mr Speaker, I just want to point out that my question was not necessarily about that process; the question was actually about what impact has that paper had on any of the government’s budget decisions this year.
MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister.
MR STANHOPE: Well, I was getting there. I thought Ms Hunter would be interested in the context. I think each minister would be more than happy to outline initiatives within their own portfolios that are designed to ensure that we do meet the demanding targets that we have set in relation to our goals and aims in relation to carbon reduction. I think in the context of an initiative, a significant issue of most relevance to my portfolio is, of course, the decision which the government has taken to construct a government office block.
We were driven very much in that decision by some of the environmental benefits that will be achieved as a result of pursuing that particular project. The government has taken a decision to seek very high levels of environmental sustainability. We know that comes at a cost, and some of the issues in relation to the cost of building are, of course, involved with deliberate decisions, policy decisions, that we have taken relevant to our commitment to a clean economy.
In relation to our own accommodation and power needs, one of the significant cost savings that we will achieve year on year, which others in this place, particularly the Liberals, are seeking to ignore, is, of course, a reduction in energy use. The building we propose, the government office building, will be designed and built to very high environmental sustainability ratings. It will deliver a 79 per cent reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions when compared to existing ACT government office buildings. That is part of the benefit of moving from the C and D-grade buildings we currently occupy to an A-grade building built to our specifications and design.
We will, through this particular project, achieve a 79 per cent reduction. It will exceed owned office accommodation of the government currently and the government’s stated 2020 target of a 40 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1999 levels. Indeed, I think it is fair to say in the context of our commitment to achieve carbon neutrality in all government properties—(Time expired.)
MR SPEAKER: Ms Hunter, a supplementary question?
MS HUNTER: Minister, how many submissions were made to the discussion paper on a clean economy and have they been made publicly available?
MR STANHOPE: I thank Ms Hunter for that question. I will just conclude that last point I was making because I think it is very relevant to the question. In the context of
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