Page 877 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 20 March 2019
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Amendment agreed to.
Original question, as amended, resolved in the affirmative.
Heat mitigation
MS LE COUTEUR (Murrumbidgee) (4.54): I move:
That this Assembly:
(1) notes that:
(a) this summer the ACT experienced record-breaking extreme heat, and this is likely to occur more frequently in future as a result of climate change;
(b) heatwaves are Australia’s deadliest type of natural hazard, with seniors and infants most at risk of death and serious injury; and
(c) many vulnerable older people and children live in apartments, including public housing tenants;
(2) notes that:
(a) this summer there were numerous reports of Canberra apartments less than five years old – including public housing – reaching inside temperatures of over 40 degrees;
(b) the design and construction of these apartments were covered by a minimum Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) standard:
(i) while the current EER system is helpful, it is clearly inadequate to ensure new apartments are liveable and safe during heatwaves;
(ii) some experts believe that the minimum EER requirement is being undermined by weak planning rules and that the ACT should adopt rules similar to those in the NSW State Environmental Planning Policy No 65 (SEPP 65) “Apartment Design Guide”;
(iii) unfortunately, some builders don’t build to the EER standard required by their building approval;
(iv) the EER system is controlled through the Council of Australian Governments and the Australian Building Code, and there is little national progress in strengthening it; and
(v) the national EER rating tool (NatHERS) is based on Canberra’s past cooler climate, not the hotter climate that we are facing now and into the future;
(3) notes that air conditioning is a solution for some people, however many lower-income people cannot afford air conditioners, people who live in apartments can be limited in the types of air conditioning they can install, tenants are not able to install them and air conditioners don’t work when extreme heat causes blackouts;
(4) notes that the ACT Government is already taking action on heatwave safety and energy efficient housing, though there are opportunities for more to be done:
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