Page 3185 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 20 August 2019
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At a national level we have a very different discussion and one of the areas I want to particularly touch on today is the failure of the federal government to convene a meeting of the COAG Energy Council. I am deeply concerned by this. We have seen clear signals from the chair of the Energy Security Board, Kerry Schott, that we do need to get together and have COAG Energy Council meetings. There are rule changes that need to be made, and that can only be done through the COAG Energy Council, which requires all of the states and territories and the commonwealth to work together.
At this stage the commonwealth has not indicated a date for a COAG Energy Council meeting, and it is clear that we need one. There is much work to be done in the national energy space. I am not going to get into a whole discussion about my significant concerns about the commonwealth’s failure to have its own energy policy. That aside, the COAG Energy Council has work to do. We must get together and do that work. I urge my colleagues across the chamber to use whatever influence they have to indicate to Angus Taylor, the federal energy minister, that it is well and truly time to convene a COAG Energy Council meeting so that the states and territories and the commonwealth can get on with the work that needs to be done.
With that set of remarks, I am pleased to support this part of the budget, both in my role as a minister and also on behalf of the ACT Greens.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Minister for Disability, Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety, Minister for Health, Minister for Urban Renewal) (3.51): The ACT government is committed to making Canberra a compact, sustainable, efficient and vibrant city. If we are to become a more compact and efficient city and to deliver 70 per cent of all new housing within our existing urban footprint, as outlined in the 2018 planning strategy, then urban renewal done well is critical.
Urban renewal includes the identification of key precincts and individual projects, prioritisation of projects based on community need, undertaking feasibility studies and due diligence, and project delivery, including demolition and minor works. This work seeks to integrate urban renewal opportunities across government around defined urban renewal precincts, including within town and group centres and within pockets of established suburbs such as local centres.
Priority projects and activities that will be undertaken to support urban renewal in the territory in 2019-20, as reflected in the budget, include work to advance the Kingston arts precinct, including intensive community consultation. The Kingston arts precinct will be a landmark urban renewal project for Canberra for decades to come, and the ACT government is committed to ensuring that it meets the needs of local arts organisations and the expectations of residents, while being future fit and an enduring hub for creativity and design in Canberra.
The budget allocates $608,000 over two years to continue preparations for the delivery of future housing supply in the East Lake urban renewal precinct near
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