Caroline Le Couteur

Member of the ACT Legislative Assembly

lecouteur@parliament.act.gov.au

Portfolio Responsibilities

• Planning
• Territory & Municipal Services
• Business & Economic Development
• Arts & Heritage

All my life I have had a passion for social justice and the environment and I am deeply concerned by escalating climate change.

I grew up in Yarralumla and I remember ice crystals on the windows every winter. Now the windows stay clear as Canberra is warmer. I studied in Canberra and recieved an economics degree at ANU. I have also been involved with rainforest preservation campaigns and launching a community preschool and primary school. I briefly ran a small business selling solar panels.

After doing another degree (Data processing) I returned to Canberra 23 years ago. I worked for the public service (both Federal and ACT) in IT and then moved into renewable energy policy. From 1991 I was a director of the local ethical investment company, Australian Ethical Investment and in 2000 became the IT manager.

Before my election I was one of the two ACT representatives on the National Council of the Australian Conservation Foundation. I’m a keen supporter of groups such as the Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society, Pedal Power, Oxfam, Anglicare and the Conservation Council. My parents are both in aged care in Canberra so I am acutely aware of local issues in this area.

I have renovated my house for increased energy efficiency and I’m now in the process of adding solar electric panels. I’m a regular bike rider and gardener.

Caroline Le Couteur MLA, Greens spokesperson for Territory and Municipal Services, has described the ACT Government’s consultation on the new Southern Canberra Cemetery as skewed towards cremation, lacking vision and leadership. 

The Greens submission argues that Canberra does not need a second crematorium and that a larger natural burial ground could be built.  Natural burials involve the body being returned to the earth using minimal resources in native landscapes and have the lowest upkeep costs and are the most environmentally friendly.  The submission outlines the benefits of a natural cemetery for the area. 

“The Government embarked on its consultation very much focused on a new crematorium.  If natural burial was more genuinely proposed as a possibility, we believe that the Canberra community would have responded more positively,” Ms Le Couteur said today.

“We see this as an opportunity for Canberra to have a natural cemetery, and we think that the people in Southern Canberra will be very positive about maintaining the natural amenity of the Farrer and Fadden hills.

“People will still have the option of cremation, or traditional burial at existing facilities, but there will be another option for Canberrans that is more environmentally sensitive.  The ACT crematorium is still running far below capacity and a move towards natural burial would further decrease demand.

“Natural burial is already available in NSW, WA and SA and is rapidly growing in popularity around the world.  In the UK, 10% of burials are in the more than 200 natural cemeteries.

“The forum on natural burial I held last year at the Legislative Assembly was very well attended and we have had a positive response from Canberrans who are aware of the practice.

“Too often we hear all the right things from the Government, but when it comes to offering leadership and going out to the community with something progressive, it’s just too much of a challenge,” Ms Le Couteur said.

The Greens have criticised the ACT Government’s attempts to paint itself as a leader on chicken welfare.

“The Government’s newest regulations reaffirm its commitment to cruel battery cage farming. The Greens have tried to outlaw this practice but the Government insists on keeping it,” said Caroline Le Couteur MLA, Greens spokesperson on Animal Welfare.

“The new standards the Chief Minister is spruiking, are simply the minimum national standards that other states have already implemented. The ACT has actually lagged behind other states for years.”

“Last year the Greens revealed that the ACT’s battery cage facility didn’t even meet the minimum national standards for battery cage farming. Yet, its actions were legal here. In NSW, for example, its operating methods would have been illegal.”

“Mr Stanhope also says that the ACT will implement battery cage standards that have just been reviewed. In fact we will implement the present bare minimum standards and a review of poultry codes at the national level is not even on the radar of the responsible Ministerial Council.”

“A Government that is truly committed to animal welfare would ban cruel battery cage farming now.” Ms Le Couteur said.

Caroline Le Couteur MLA, Greens spokesperson for Territory and Municipal Services, today introduced legislation into the Legislative Assembly to address the issue of abandoned trolleys. 
 
“These trolleys continue to be a problem in Canberra. They’re a type of litter that is unsafe, unattractive, costly to the territory and ratepayers, and often damaging to the environment,” Ms Le Couteur said today.

“The Government has spent over two years saying it would do something about this issue without action. As the Greens Territory and Municipal Services spokesperson, I’ve now introduced legislation to solve this problem.”

“Although this isn’t the highest environmental priority for the Territory, the Greens are also committed to addressing ‘local council’ issues that affect Canberrans and the amenity of our city.”

The bill will make retailers take more responsibility for trolleys. Territory authorities will be able to notify retailers of trolleys left on public land. If the retailer still doesn’t collect the trolley with 24 hours of notification, they can be fined, and the trolley can be impounded.

“Our bill encourages retailers to prevent trolleys from leaving their premises in the first place, by waiving fines if the retailer installs a trolley containment system – such as a coin lock system.”

“The bill also allows TAMS officers to direct people to return the trolley to the retailer and clarifies that individuals can be fined for leaving trolleys in public places.”

“In addition, the bill specifies that trolleys need to be recycled, and can’t be disposed of in our landfills,” Ms Le Couteur said.