Page 20 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 12 February 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
attorney has been incredibly successful. The response from industry has been very strong, I am pleased to say, and we will have more to say on this in the coming days.
This year the government will deliver on our commitment to establish the ACT’s first drug and alcohol court to engage high-risk, high-needs offenders whose criminal activity is associated with drug and alcohol dependence. Substance abuse has a strong link to criminal offending, and evidence suggests that drug courts are effective at reducing both reoffending and substance abuse.
From 1 July this year, the ACT’s new integrity commission will begin taking submissions. Canberrans rightly expect transparency and accountability from their government and public officials, and the establishment of the ACT integrity commission, combined with our progressive reforms to freedom of information rules and legislation to ban developer donations to all political parties in the ACT, will deliver on this expectation and on the government’s election commitment.
Finally, when it comes to combating climate change, the ACT is and will continue to be an Australian and global leader. Tackling climate change is not just an environmental imperative; it is an economic necessity. Communities and governments are finally starting to understand this, and they are acting. In the ACT we started this journey many, many years ago, and we will meet our goal. I thank the Canberra community for their commitment to making this journey.
We have invested in many clean energy projects, projects necessary to achieve 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2020. This year we will make it clear that 100 per cent renewable energy is the standard Canberrans expect, when Minister Rattenbury introduces legislation to enshrine this target into law. In addition to our 100 per cent renewable electricity target, we have set a nation-leading target to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
In 2019 we will release two major strategies, our next climate action plan and the new transport strategy, to ensure that Canberra remains Australia’s most sustainable city over the coming decades. We are leading the way, showing other governments in this country, particularly at the federal level, how this can be done. This is something that future generations will appreciate more than we can possibly realise now.
Madam Speaker, over the past two years we have made a lot of headway on delivering the better Canberra that we promised. In 2019 we are focused on making more progress with the important infrastructure projects that this city will need in the years and decades to come, whilst continuing to deliver legislative reform that reflects—and strongly reflects—this community’s progressive values and will make our city more inclusive and a better place to live for all Canberrans and all future Canberrans.
We have a lot to do, Madam Speaker, but as a government we are committed to what we took to the 2016 election. We are committed to getting on with that job. That will be our focus through 2019 and 2020. I present the following paper:
Government priorities for 2019—Ministerial statement, 12 February 2019.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video