Page 2372 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 30 July 2019
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I am prepared to say that recommendation 20 is the most worthy of the recommendations. I will read it out for our enjoyment and edification.
Mrs Jones interjecting—
Thank you, Mrs Jones, for your enjoyment. The recommendation says:
The Committee recommends that the ACT Government, recognising the climate emergency declared by the Legislative Assembly, communicate this status to all Government agencies, and require that all agencies orientate their decision-making around climate change and ensure that they are compatible with the ACT’s climate change goals.
I am really pleased that the tripartisan estimates committee put that recommendation in. We passed that motion, and I am very pleased about that, but I am really pleased to see that we all agree that this is something we actually need to work on, not something we just state. We are waiting for an updated climate plan. There is a lot more detail about this in recommendations 52, 53, 54 and 55.
I would like to quote from my colleague Mr Rattenbury, who talked about this when we debated the original climate emergency motion in the Assembly. He said:
From now on, every time we make a decision, we will ask ourselves what this decision means for climate change, for emissions and for the climate crisis we need to avert. If it is not consistent with reducing emissions, then we must stop and rethink. This mandate must extend beyond this Assembly and into all of the government agencies.
The new currency of the ACT needs to be emissions and climate change. That is what we must value.
I am very pleased that the estimates committee clearly agreed with this.
The next few recommendations are almost as important. Recommendations 21, 22 and 23 deal with the wellbeing indicators which the government is planning to develop. One of our recommendations is that the ACT government include all members of the ACT Legislative Assembly in developing these wellbeing indicators.
I put forward that recommendation and I really mean it. If we are going to have a set of wellbeing indicators that reflect what we are doing in the ACT, then to make it work it really has to have broad community consultation and agreement that these are the things we care about in the ACT. That means all members of the Assembly should be included in this communication and consultation, including the opposition, who, from a voting point of view, represent almost as many Canberrans as the government does. If the wellbeing indicators are to do what they are meant to do, they have to be bipartisan. It is also particularly important because we know that what is reported on is what will be prioritised and acted on, so it is really important that the wellbeing indicators are right.
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