Greens Member for Brindabella, Amanda Bresnan MLA, will introduce a motion into the legislative assembly on Wednesday to address the unacceptably high levels of wood smoke in the Tuggeranong Valley.

“Wood smoke pollution continues to be a problem in the Valley and the ACT Government must step up and expand on it’s commitment to the Wood Heater Replacement program,” Ms Bresnan said today.

“The tiny particles from wood smoke create a great deal of discomfort when breathed into the lungs. For people who suffer from respiratory and heart problems,  especially asthma,  this can be very serious.

“This motion recognises that wood smoke pollution is a serious problem and that the ACT has been lagging behind other states in addressing it.

“I acknowledge that the Government has been working  to  address the build up of wood smoke in Tuggeranong  through the Don’t Burn Tonight campaign and ACT Wood Heater Replacement Program.

“These programs have had some success,  but the Government hasn’t been active enough in promoting them or using them as a tool to educate people about the impacts of wood smoke.

“The Greens are calling on the government  to make air quality information publicly available , and we are pleased that the Government will look at making this information available on a daily or weekly basis.

“By providing information through more targeted education programs people can make more considered decisions about their heating, health and environment.

“The Greens are committed to addressing the health and environmental impact of excessive wood smoke in the  Tuggeranong Valley,” Ms Bresnan said.

The ACT Government needs to muscle up its draft Energy Policy if it wants to meet a 40% reduction in emissions by 2020 as recommended in an Assembly committee last year Greens Energy and Climate Change spokesperson Shane Rattenbury said today.

The Greens have made a critical submission to the draft policy which addresses issues around energy efficiency, production and consumption habits.

“Tackling energy production and consumption is critical to reducing our greenhouse emissions, but the Draft Policy is full of non-committal language and isn’t clear about how the ACT will achieve a 40% reduction in emissions. The final version really needs to be tougher,” said Shane Rattenbury.

“The cheapest way to reach the target is through money-saving energy efficiency measures and Minister Corbell himself says ‘At the heart of this policy is a massive boost to energy efficiency…’ “

“Yet the Draft Policy actually only commits to energy efficiency measures that will reduce the ACT’s greenhouse emissions by 10% less that what they would normally be in 2020.”

The Greens submission to the Governments draft energy plan includes:
- A call for the Government to commit to a 40% by 2020 target
- A call to include energy efficiency standards for residential and commercial buildings alongside incentives.
- A call on Government to extend the Energy Concession rebate and for all energy efficiency programs to target at risk households.

“Many of the aspirations in the paper are expressed in estimates and different units, making it difficult for the public to be clear about exactly where the energy Roadmap is taking us.”

“The draft policy hasn’t taken a long-term strategic view about how much green energy we should purchase from outside the ACT versus how much we should generate here in the Territory, and when we will be able to phase out our use of coal-fired electricity.

“The good news is that this version is only a draft, and that after receiving input from the community, there is still time for the Government to deliver a world class energy policy for the ACT,” Mr Rattenbury said.

ACT Greens Energy Policy Submission

ACT Greens Parliamentary Convenor, Meredith Hunter MLA, has welcomed federal Attorney General, Robert McClelland’s decision to reinstate the Australia-Ethiopia intercountry adoption program.

“When the program was suspended last year, many potential parents were left in limbo, with their long wait for a child becoming totally uncertain,” Ms Hunter said today.

“I wrote to the Attorney General in December and he advised me that a review into the viability of the program and its compliance with the principles of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption was required.”

“The restarted program will have improved processes and safeguards to ensure compliance with the convention.”

“I believe that the Attorney Generals Department has worked hard to conclude this matter as quickly as possible, and the program is now back up and running.”

“The resumption of the program is fantastic news to those involved.”

“This is the result we had hoped for and the ACT Greens join the applicants and families involved in welcoming this decision,” Ms Hunter said.

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

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.

The ACT Greens have welcomed Government moves to address drink driving and drug driving in the Territory.

“The Greens are strongly committed to improving road safety in the ACT.  With both the Labor and Liberal parties now proposing legislation for drug driving testing, we have an excellent opportunity to work constructively together in order to develop the best legislation possible,” Greens Transport spokesperson, Amanda Bresnan said today.

”There are some important and detailed questions to be resolved for drug driving legislation – the Assembly needs to resolve the practicalities of these questions, and avoid political posturing on this issue.”

“The question is how to best implement this policy which has broad community and political support.  In particular, we hope that the Government considers the drug driving enforcement model of Tasmania, which we consider to be the best practice model currently in place in Australia.

“We look forward to the community consultation process, and trust that the Government will ensure any new measures are based on the evidence of which methods work more effectively. 
 
“The ACT Greens welcome the opportunity to discuss legislative and enforcement measures, however we also need to look at education measures.  
 
“Lack of awareness of the effects of illicit drugs on driving ability is a major factor putting people under the influence of drugs on the road, Ms Bresnan said.

ACT Greens spokesperson for Women, Meredith Hunter MLA, has today pushed for a pay equity audit of the ACT public service to investigate the gap between men’s and women’s salaries.

“My motion, which comes in the lead up to International Women’s Day, will set up a pay equity audit process, which the Minister will report on in May,” Ms Hunter said today.

“A full pay equity audit of the ACT Public Service could reveal that within a given role, men and women often occupy different ends of the pay spectrum.

“If this is the case in the ACT public service, we must review all of the causes and take action to end any discrimination.  The government can set an example for the private sector to follow.

“This is the ACT’s opportunity to be a pioneer in pay equity and improve on the work done by other jurisdictions such as Victoria and Western Australia.

“Nationally, women face a 17 per cent pay gap.  We must continue to work towards equity for men and women’s pay.

“The Greens party is committed to campaigning for women’s rights on a local, national and international level,” Ms Hunter 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.