Page 1783 - Week 06 - Thursday, 30 July 2020
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dedicated to peace and science. And it was Labor that world heritage listed the wet tropics of Queensland and the Daintree, and created the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the authority to manage it. It was a Labor government that signed and ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change—the UNFCC—and another Labor government that ratified the Kyoto protocol in 2007.
This tradition of firsts in leadership is one that this Labor government follows proudly. As we grow our city and deliver more services, we are working to build a sustainable and low-carbon Canberra. It was under Labor that the territory began charting an ambitious and bold course towards a renewable energy future. While other subregional governments aim for 50 per cent and others talk about 70 per cent renewable electricity, we are already entirely powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity. Powering a city with 100 per cent renewable electricity is an initiative of ACT Labor. In fact, I ticked if off, and then it was followed by my predecessor as environment minister, Simon Corbell. The bill before us today forms part of this legacy as well.
Renewable energy is the future. It is a future that Canberrans—indeed, all Australians—are embracing. Just look at the uptake of rooftop solar on homes across the country. It is no small irony that the conservative federal Liberal government idols of those opposite—those who wish to take Australia back to the 1850s and a supposed coal utopia—have all their electricity sourced cleanly and sustainably when they sit in the federal parliament, because of the actions of this Labor government.
Like Mr Abbott and other conservatives, Mr Coe does not support renewable energy. He has parroted their deceptive lines about renewables increasing electricity prices. Knowing that our city is powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity, in February this year Mr Coe claimed energy prices were rising. In reality, our electricity prices are falling. The tactics adopted by Mr Coe are right out of Tony Abbott’s playbook—a playbook about mistruths and laziness. Not content with copying the conservative Liberals on renewables, Mr Coe’s latest stunt is to borrow from Tony Abbott’s discredited direct action policy—a fig leaf promise on trees. This is the wafer-thin policy adopted by those who do not believe in tackling climate change, deploying renewable energy or helping the environment. The only detail they have provided about the policy is that they are expecting schoolkids and householders to do all the planting and maintenance. This is a glimpse into the lack of government services that a Canberra Liberals government would bring.
In announcing this policy Mr Coe committed to every Canberran being no more than 10 minutes from a green space. That does sound nice, but there is one big oversight. According to federal data, 98 per cent of Canberrans already live within walking distance, or about 400 metres, of a green space, with the highest levels of green space per person. It seems that what Mr Coe is promising is a reduction in green space across the city. Not only is he content to remove our precious grasslands and woodlands from the urban fringe; he is now looking to bulldoze the network of native reserves within the city.
So there is a clear choice for Canberrans. On this side, ACT Labor has a proud tradition of supporting renewable energy. We do not just talk about the environment;
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