Page 511 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 15 February 2017
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Greens and the Labor Party worked together closely on renewable energy, resulting in the great commitment to 100 per cent renewable energy in the ACT by 2020. I am very pleased that, as part of the election campaign, the Liberal Party also signed on to that. That is a great bipartisan commitment for the ACT to have economic growth with minimal environmental impact.
Obviously, this has benefits from a climate change perspective, but you might ask why it is important for economic diversification. Our 100 per cent renewable energy commitment has enabled us to be a hub for renewable energy innovation and investment. It has attracted green investment, with over $500 million of investment into the local economy so far, and it has been bringing green jobs that the Greens have been calling for, for years, to the ACT. Renewable energy jobs in the ACT are growing 12 times faster than the national average.
The renewable energy commitment is not just about wind and solar farms; it also covers electricity storage. Storage is crucial, as wind and solar are intermittent, and storage means that electricity can be used when it is required, rather than only when it is generated. Our renewable energy commitment is positioning the ACT to become a leader in solar-linked energy storage. This will lead to many opportunities for the ACT in the research sector and in attracting investment and jobs. Our 100 per cent renewable energy commitment is also important because it shows other jurisdictions that renewable energy can power a successful economy and a successful community, and do so at remarkably little extra cost.
The other feature I wanted to talk about was light rail, which my Murrumbidgee colleagues in the Assembly have spoken about. The light rail system that we are building will solve local transport problems, and it will help to attract more people to live in the areas that it runs through. As well as this, it will enhance Canberra’s reputation, make us more attractive for visitors and for hosting events, and demonstrate our ability to develop major projects. It will also transform the development of Canberra, leading to a more compact city and reducing the rate at which Canberra sprawls into adjacent bush and farmland. This is important to create urban amenity, as well as to protect biodiversity and agricultural output.
It is also really important for Canberra to stop the brain drain which traditionally we have had. Young people grow up in Canberra, go to uni, and then an awful lot of our home-grown people leave. Apparently, it is because they want a big city atmosphere. They do not want to have to drive everywhere. More and more young people are not driving. Having this sort of urban environment that we will be creating with light rail will be really important to the ACT in the long run in keeping the ACT as a knowledge economy.
I am really hopeful that the opposition will change its position on light rail from its position in the last term. Threatening to tear up the light rail contract is reckless. If this had happened it would have damaged Canberra’s reputation and Canberra’s economy for many years.
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