Page 1165 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 7 May 2014
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deliver right across the city. Things like urban amenity, housing, health care, education, business, transport, justice, community services and the economy are all dependent on the natural environment; all human endeavour is underwritten by the natural world. As has been said by me and others in this place, without an environment, there is no economy, there is no amenity and there is no list of priorities.
The ACT has one of the only greenhouse targets that are consistent with the science, the science that tells us how the planet needs to transition to renewable energy. I am actually very proud of the work that has been done over the past five years to ensure that the ACT has good climate change policies—the 2008 parliamentary agreement, the Assembly work in the last term, the legislation that has been passed to deliver us the large scale feed-in tariff scheme and our greenhouse gas reduction target so that we can play our part as citizens of Canberra and also as citizens of this planet to ensure that we hand over to our children and our children’s children an environment equally as good as the one that we have been fortunate enough to live in.
The 90 per cent renewable energy target will deliver. Mr Doszpot stood up before and said we are happy just to ship wind turbines across the border. There is no wind resource in the ACT, so that is where they go, but where does Mr Doszpot think his energy comes from? It comes from the Latrobe Valley or the Hunter region where coal-fired power stations are pumping out pollution at a rate of knots. We saw a fire break out at the Morwell coal-fired power station this year. It had an incredible impact on the community. Energy comes from somewhere. That lazy analysis that Mr Doszpot just stood up and gave really demeans his own presentation in this place.
I will not be supporting Mr Hanson’s motion today. I will be supporting the amendment put forward by the Chief Minister. I think it paints a more rounded picture of the role that the ACT government—any ACT government of any political persuasion—must play. I think it presents a more honest picture of the way this government is seeking to approach that full set of priorities, trying to deliver for all Canberrans, recognising the vast array of interests, priorities and different views that this community holds and delivering services for everybody in this city—not just in Mr Hanson’s so-called forgotten suburbs but every suburb in this city; every suburb in this city that enjoys bus services, parks, open spaces, garbage collection, the work of Parks and City Services, the rangers and the health services. The government is committed to delivering and doing the best job we can for the residents of Canberra.
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (11.36): I rise today to support Mr Hanson’s motion and support his call for the government to focus on the priorities that truly matter to the residents of Canberra. I spend a lot of my time engaging with members of the community, talking with constituents in my electorate and throughout Canberra one on one or at public meetings and fora, listening to them and their concerns. Today I want to share with you a little bit about what I have found during these consultations.
It has been made clear to me by my constituents that the government have some of their priorities wrong. Families in Tuggeranong are not interested in having the highest renewable energy targets in the country, nor are they concerned about the desire some ministers have to be the most progressive green government in the country. These people are working mothers and fathers, self-funded retirees, single parents, young people and people with disability. They are people who work hard to
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