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 ACT Greens have called on the Government to extend the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) to include access for unit dwellers and other potential community groups who are currently excluded from investing in solar energy at their homes.

“The Greens fully endorse extending the FIT to include large and medium scale generators, but we also need to open the opportunity to unit title owners, people with unsuitable roof spaces and those that can’t afford the entire upfront cost, who have been prevented from investing in solar energy. What we want to achieve is investment by as many people as possible,” said Shane Rattenbury, Greens spokesperson energy and Climate Change.

Key points of the Greens submission to the FiT consultation:

- Unit Titles act should be amended to allow participation
- No Cap for systems under 30kW – small scale solar will not be a source of over-heating the scheme
- Production caps on medium and large-scale generators to protect ACT consumers

“There should be a cap on the amount of large scale solar installations in the ACT, but that the scheme should remain uncapped for systems under 30kW, which would include householders and small businesses.”

“When we expand the feed-in tariff to the big solar companies, it will be a competitive environment, and smaller players must still be included.”

“Householders and community groups not only get the benefits of the premium tariff rate, but also the opportunity to invest in something that they know is good for the ACT’s energy future, and good for the environment. It’s a win-win situation.”

“A scheme cap for large installers will be important to provide certainty to investors but also to protect ACT consumers from excessive increases in electricity prices,” Mr Rattenbury said.

The ACT Greens submission to the Feed in Tariff discussion paper is available here.

The ACT Greens Corrections spokesperson, Amanda Bresnan, has today criticised the Government over the absence of an Official Visitor for inmates to make complaints to for over 4 months.

“The role of the Official Visitor is crucial to maintain the integrity and safety of our prisons,” Ms Bresnan said today.

“The Official Visitor is the first and most accessible point of contact for inmates.  Without an Official Visitor making routine visits, it is more difficult for inmates to bring up major complaints.

“It is incredibly disappointing that this important role was vacant for over four months, and we are concerned that many legitimate complaints may not have been lodged as a result.

“The Government needs to re-examine its procedures for staffing and replacing vital positions, as the delays that we have seen are unacceptable.

“We expect the Government to take steps to prevent this regrettable situation from happening again” Ms Bresnan said