Page 487 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 19 March 2014
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The great advancements which are to be made through this investment—the reduction of greenhouse emissions, job creation, education industry growth—are all supported through this motion, which demonstrates the ACT’s commitment to wind farming and renewable energy. The recent position statement by the Australian Medical Association gives even more support for this initiative. The AMA stated:
The available Australian and international evidence does not support the view that the infrasound or low frequency sound generated by wind farms, as they are currently regulated in Australia, causes adverse health effects on populations residing in their vicinity.
What is more, it is interesting that they also note:
The reporting of “health scares” and misinformation regarding wind farm developments—
of which there is often a great amount—
may contribute to heightened anxiety and community division, and over-rigorous regulation of these developments by state governments.
Not only are these investments good for the Canberra community and good for our greenhouse emissions; they are perfectly safe.
I wish to commend this motion as it supports so many facets of necessary development and investment in the future. It demonstrates the government’s commitment to these excellent initiatives which are viable for the advancement of our territory.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations and Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development) (11.13): I thank Dr Bourke for proposing this motion to the Assembly this morning. As a Labor government, we are committed to protecting jobs and supporting local jobs growth in our city and in our territory. Jobs are the cornerstone of a sustainable economy.
The recently released renewable energy local investment framework, which I released in the context of the government’s 90 per cent renewable energy target and associated projects, sets out a series of priorities that the government has identified for local investment as we help make the transition to a more renewable and sustainable energy future. The principles outlined in the renewable energy local investment framework are designed to ensure that we see enduring economic benefit for our city from the strategic policy decision the government has taken to invest in renewable energy, to decrease our city’s greenhouse gas emissions, and also to achieve a more sustainable urban environment. The principles include delivering enduring benefits to local businesses through the inclusion and use of regional contractors and the regional labour force; the building of Canberra’s capacity as a national tertiary education and trade skill hub in the area of renewable energy; stimulating productive research
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