Page 2390 - Week 06 - Thursday, 10 May 2012
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The ACT is also actively involved in the Select Council on Climate Change and its associated working groups—the first meeting of this body was last Friday—working collaboratively with other jurisdictions to address the complex array of issues associated with a national approach to addressing climate change. One particularly important work stream coordinated by the council will be the review of jurisdictional and national schemes for complementarity to a price on carbon. It will be essential to ensure that our actions as a jurisdiction are part of a broader, nationally consistent and comprehensive collaboration to address climate change.
The government does not take the challenge of this issue lightly. Our actions in the pursuit of energy efficiency or large-scale solar demonstrate our commitment to achieving results. With action plan 2 we will continue to undertake real, effective and affordable actions to reduce greenhouse gas reductions across the entire community. I thank Ms Hunter for raising this matter of public importance today.
Visitors
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mrs Dunne): Before we proceed with the matter of public importance, I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of delegates on the Australian political exchange program from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and members of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. I welcome you to the ACT Legislative Assembly.
Environment—climate change
Discussion of matter of public importance
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (3.39): I also would like to welcome the delegates from Vietnam. You are most welcome here in our parliament.
I thank Ms Hunter for bringing this matter of public interest to the Assembly today. The Canberra Liberals are very supportive of the need to measure and evaluate the ACT’s performance in delivering its climate change initiatives. After all, as the management saying goes, you cannot manage what you cannot measure.
But with that, allow me to tie this MPI back to the issues that matter to Canberrans, particularly the cost of living. Here are some updated figures. We have seen taxation per capita increase by 90 per cent; property rates and charges up by 90 per cent; rents up 77 per cent, with average weekly rents at $500; water up 200 per cent; electricity up 85 per cent; and the cost of first homes over $400,000, with a median dwelling price of $510,000, the second highest in the country, after Sydney, which has a median house price of $540,000.
But let us be more specific now and tie this back into the MPI Ms Hunter has raised. Courtesy of the government-Greens climate change initiatives, the alliance up there at the big house and the alliance at this place, we will see the carbon tax. This new tax will now slug Canberrans $189 per year. It is helping to account for the 78 per cent electricity price increases for Canberra families on 1 July.
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