Page 817 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 27 February 2013
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Wood smoke pollution affects Tuggeranong residents in particular. It causes harm ranging from irritation to serious health problems. In fact, the Tuggeranong valley is noted as one of the worst places in Australia for wood smoke pollution. We all know it is a particular factor of the geography of the Tuggeranong valley; the way it sits makes it a particularly problematic area. That is something I hope all members in this place are well aware of.
Certainly, every winter the government receives complaints from the Tuggeranong public about this—regularly it is more than 50 complaints and in some years over 100. Despite this, when the Greens started a community consultation about reducing wood smoke pollution, suggesting measures such as phasing in more efficient heaters, the Liberal Party ridiculed it. They would not have a bar of it. This is despite support for the proposal from many Tuggeranong residents, including groups such as the Lung Life Support Group and the Asthma Foundation. This is a serious issue, and there has been a policy discussion led by Minister Corbell when he said potentially wood heaters would not be allowed in the new Molonglo valley development, which faces similar geographic issues to Tuggeranong, in order to prevent similar problems eventuating—
Mr Seselja: Are you going to ban them in Tuggeranong as well?
MR RATTENBURY: The difference, of course, is that if you set a policy at the start, everybody moves in with a clear expectation. We cannot simply move back through Tuggeranong and say to people, “You can’t have them anymore.” But we certainly need to start putting in place policies that attack this very serious health problem that affects children and older people particularly. Those two groups are particularly vulnerable to smoke pollution in Tuggeranong. The derisory attitude the Liberal Party take on this issue reflects on them very poorly.
Another issue I would like to touch on is Tuggeranong waterways, particularly Lake Tuggeranong. Of course, it is not in the Lanyon valley, but many people in the Tuggeranong area use this as a key recreational facility. The Greens are very keen to see significant work done to improve the water quality of Lake Tuggeranong.
That is why the parliamentary agreement seeks to address the issue of water quality in our urban lakes and waterways. We all know there are major problems with the quality of the water in Lake Tuggeranong. As was pointed out in question time in the last sitting week, there have been closures of Lake Tuggeranong on too many occasions to my mind. That is why we are keen to get on with the sorts of projects that will enhance the quality of water in Lake Tuggeranong and also in the creeks that feed into it.
This is an issue right across Canberra with our other lakes, but it is particularly the case with Lake Tuggeranong. I know many people are very concerned, so we need to do things like build wetlands on the creeks that flow into Lake Tuggeranong so that we slow down the water and strip some of the nutrients out of it so that by the time it gets down to the lake it is in a better state and we can ensure that the waterway is in a better state.
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