Shane Rattenbury

Speaker – Member of the ACT Legislative Assembly

rattenbury@parliament.act.gov.au

Portfolio Responsibilities

• Attorney General
• Environment, Climate Change & Water
• Energy
• Police & Emergency Services
• Tourism, Sport & Recreation

Canberra is my home and I have lived here for more than 20 years. Recently I have spent time living and working in Asia and Europe.

I came home convinced that Canberra is not only a great place to live, but that it can be even better. With Greens in the Assembly we can build a city with 21st century plans and a 21st century outlook.

Having worked for Greenpeace for the last 10 years, I know that it is possible to make the world a better place. After gaining degrees in Economics and Law (Honours) at ANU and working for the Commonwealth Industry Department, I joined Greenpeace Australia in 1998, where I was able to campaign on local issues like preventing toxic emissions at the Totalcare Incinerator in Mitchell. In 2005, as Head of Greenpeace’s global oceans campaign, I led an expedition of two Greenpeace ships to Antarctica to confront the Japanese whaling fleet. We saved 82 whales by putting ourselves between the whales and the harpoons, and forced the whalers to return home with a reduced catch. In December 2007, as International Political Director, I led the Greenpeace delegation at the vital climate change negotiations in Bali, which successfully started the process for the next phase of the Kyoto Protocol.

I want Canberra to be a city that my children and their friends thank us for. That means an education system that sets up their future and feeds their potential; a health system that is first preventative, then flexible and responsive; employment and industry that is modern, interesting and vibrant; and a city that has a minimal impact on the environment and retains its natural beauty. I also know it’s important to enjoy life and after playing football for many years as a junior, my sporting passion is now triathlon. I have represented Australia at five World Championships, including the Hawaii Ironman. In addition I am a keen photographer, a blogger, and enjoy music and concerts.

The ACT Greens have called for a transformation of the Jerrabomberra Wetlands to build on environmental, recreational and commercial opportunities offered by the area.

Today is World Wetlands Day, and while the government is busy selling its proposals for urban wetlands in the Inner North, ACTPLA is proposing to build a large electrical substation between three ponds at Jerrabomberra and dig large trenches across the site for underground cables.

“The Jerrabomberra Wetlands have the potential to be a jewel in the Burley Griffin landscape, but right now it’s looking shabby and badly managed,’ said Mr Rattenbury, Greens spokesperson for the Environment.

“Jerrabomberra could be so much more. The area is well suited to play a role in improving the quality of water going into the Lake, and provide recreational opportunities to paddlers, walkers and bird watchers. A café or conference centre with educational facilities could provide an appropriate interface with the urban areas developing in East Lake.”

“But instead of articulating a clear vision for the site, the Government has sat on the Draft Management Plan for over three years, and is gradually letting the site fall into disrepair.

“Weeds and feral animals and a general air of neglect are the obvious problems; less obvious is that the water flows across the site are not being maximised.

 “Digging trenches for underground cables may affect those water flows further and until ACTPLA knows more, they shouldn’t be proceeding with their plans for underground cables,” said Mr Rattenbury.

“With today being World Wetlands Day, we need a commitment to transform Jerrabomberra Wetlands from a wasted opportunity in to an asset all Canberrans can be proud of,” Rattenbury concluded.

The ACT Greens have renewed calls for an improvement of rail infrastructure and other strategies to reduce heavy and dangerous freights on surrounding roads.

“Last August Shell announced that they were moving their oil shipments to the ACT off rail onto road,” Shane Rattenbury MLA, Greens member for Molonglo, said today.

“At the time the ACT Greens described the decision as short sighted, and called for greater investment in rail infrastructure.

“It’s another failure to take into account safety and environmental concerns in the economic assessment. The Government should step in and find ways to encourage more transport of dangerous goods onto safer and more efficient rail.

“We’d like to see the Chief Minister liaising with his NSW counterpart over this issue, and the Sydney to Canberra fuel transport arrangements in particular.

“The safety and environmental benefits of rail must be taken into account. Shell has an obligation to consider more than just economic benefits when planning their Sydney to Canberra shipping arrangements,” Mr Rattenbury said.

Today the Rail, Tram and Bus Union called on State and Territory governments to amend their dangerous goods acts to require hazardous material, such as petrol, to be transported to and from the nearest available rail hub.

The ACT Greens community consultation on alcohol related violence has returned a clear message – people want a Canberra nightlife that is both safe and vibrant.

ACT Greens Attorney General spokesperson Shane Rattenbury today released a summary of the key points raised during the consultation to the Greens alcohol violence discussion paper.

“We learnt that people really value a vibrant local nightlife but that they want to be able to go out and have a good time without the threat of violence,” Mr Rattenbury said today.

“We received a particularly high level of support for the proposal for new rules that would mean high risk venues would have higher licensing fees. In addition to built-in incentives for good bar practices, these changes would encourage smaller and safer venues.

“Last weekend we saw a nationwide 48 hour police crackdown on alcohol-related violence. We support the police and the work they do on our streets late at night but what we’ve learnt is that the community want a more preventative approach where we spark a cultural change towards a more responsible drinking culture.

“Young people did express concerns that proposals to ban irresponsible drink pricing might lead to increased prices of drinks and an end to happy hours. However, while our intent wasn’t to clamp down on happy hours, there are some engaging in irresponsible pricing regimes. We’ll be looking closely at how legislation might best address this issue.

“With the ACT Government planning to introduce alcohol-related legislation early in 2010, the Greens will use the information gathered during the consultation to make an informed assessment of each of the Government proposals,” Mr Rattenbury said.

The ACT Greens’ summary paper is available online here.