Page 3663 - Week 10 - Thursday, 19 September 2019
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As elected representatives it is our sole responsibility to represent the people who put their trust in us and elected us to advocate on their behalf. I know in my electorate of Yerrabi that people want their governments, both locally and federally, to be doing everything within their power to act against the climate crisis. The ACT government has a strong set of plans and initiatives to ensure that we take responsibility for mitigating the effect of climate change and environmental destruction.
This week we have released the ACT climate change strategy that sets out ambitious and important goals for our future. We will support Canberrans to transition from using gas as an energy source to electricity. In the past we have encouraged people to make the switch from gas and heating sources like wood fires, however, it is now time for us to act on the evidence before us and move towards our more renewable energy mix.
We will plant more trees in areas that need help to reduce the urban heat island effect, including in the newer suburbs of Gungahlin, so our homes can be cooler in the summer months and our suburbs can be protected from the increasingly harsh weather conditions. We will support households to improve their energy efficiency and in turn reduce their energy bills. We will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the ACT with our target of net zero emissions by 2045 still on track.
We will do all of this to ensure that we transition to a cleaner future, making sure that every Canberran is supported to make the change and not just those who can already afford to do so. Our government wants Canberra to remain the nation’s climate change capital because it is up to us to lead the way. Unfortunately, as everyone across the ACT knows, the current federal government are doing nothing to combat the climate crisis. They have no vision, they have no climate action agenda, and they have no idea how to fix the mess they have created.
Thankfully younger generations are holding the federal government and us ACT representatives to account. Tomorrow people across the world will take part in the global climate strike. Here in Canberra we are lucky to have passionate activists fighting for real action from governments and industry. Yesterday some of us Labor and Greens members met Zoe and Amelia, two incredible young people organising within their communities to pressure us as elected representatives to make real change.
Zoe and Amelia represented the Canberra school strikers for climate action at the Legislative Assembly and presented their plans for how governments can take real action on the climate crisis. It is thanks to their commitment and passion for our future that thousands of Canberrans will take part in tomorrow’s strike.
These girls are strong, they are intelligent and they are fired up because they are sick of the conservatives doing nothing. Despite members opposite believing that they are just kiddies, those of us on this side of the chamber respect them and acknowledge that they are much better leaders than some of the Liberals here and across the country.
Under this government the ACT will continue to lead the nation in transitioning to a cleaner future and will continue to support all Canberrans who want to act against the
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