Page 2912 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 29 June 2011
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I hope that we will see real progress this year and that a strategy will be developed and start to be implemented. I hope that the directorate understands that there is no business as usual development and that the only lasting economic development will be in the green clean economy. I hope that this is recognised, that everyone working within the directorate appreciates the scope of the task and that the task of developing the strategy is addressed by all staff, not just left as a side project for a few to be involved with.
I note that the government response to the estimates report says that the clean economy strategy will be finalised by April 2012. The Greens welcome this deadline, and we hope that we can work with the government in developing the strategy and realising this item in the parliamentary agreement. We are all quite clear that it is something that we need to be looking at—how we move into the future and how we are going to ensure that our city, the ACT, continues to prosper into the future.
I note that in the government’s response to that estimates committee recommendation, when it talks about the clean economy strategy it talks about things like the education export sector strategy. We know that education, the knowledge economy in this city, is a large part of setting up a clean economy. It has been recognised in the report that was commissioned by the government; it is recognised in United Nations reports and others that have been done around the world. We have some great brains trusts in this community. We should be harnessing that. It will be part of the industries and the jobs of the future.
That is one part of it. We also, I believe, have a greater role to play in the renewable market, again particularly with our tertiary institutions and the fantastic research that is being undertaken. We can harness that; we can ensure that there are jobs; we can ensure that we have a very strong economy going forward.
DR BOURKE (Ginninderra) (9.08): I am going to congratulate the minister on two initiatives in my electorate of Ginninderra. The first is student accommodation at the University of Canberra. Tertiary education is one of Canberra’s major industries. I am delighted to see that student accommodation at the University of Canberra is going to be supported over nine years—over nine years to develop 94 one-bedroom ensuite units, 36 bedrooms with shared bathroom facilities, and 41 two-bedroom units. This will be accommodation for over 200 students. This will not only assist students but also have flow-on effects to the private rental market. I congratulate the minister on this item.
The second thing I want to talk about, which is different but also in my electorate, is the redevelopment of the Kippax district playing fields. Some $2 million has been allocated for this. For those of you who do not know, Kippax district playing fields are home to the Belconnen Magpies football club, which is a very successful football club.
Mr Hanson: I did not know that.
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