ACT Greens Podcast

Recorded on 5 June 2023, immediately prior to the debate on the Planning Bill, this recording features Jo Clay MLA, Rebecca Vassarotti MLA and ACT Greens members discussing the issues surrounding planning and development in the ACT.

Canberrans are proud to live in the bush capital, and with Greens in government, we have always prioritised environmental protection as a core concern. In this conversation, I shared our work responding to the biodiversity crisis, protecting our local habitats, building biodiversity corridors and ensuring living infrastructure is a core part of our urban environment. We have made great strides but there is still more work to do – both locally and nationally.

Housing and Renting are becoming more expensive, so what can be done to help renters, first homebuyers and homeowners with the cost of living crisis? On 25 May we held a community forum in Belconnen to discuss these issues with the public. Hit play to listen to Jo Clay, ACT Greens Member for Ginninderra, Shane Rattenbury, ACT Attorney-General and Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Minister for Homelessness and Housing Services, about what we're working on and where to next in making life better for renters and making housing more affordable.

With Greens in government, we have taken great strides in improving the rights of renters.  On 11 April 2023 Shane Rattenbury MLA shared the journey leading up to the ACT Greens ending no-cause evictions and introducing new energy efficiency standards for rental properties. Shane also asked ACT Greens members for their feedback and insights about what rental reform they would like to see next, and how we should further our commitment to providing everyone with a good home.

This month, the findings of the ACT Legislative Assembly's inquiry into dangerous driving were released. While there was some important media coverage given to many of the inquiry's recommendations, especially those around the creation of new dangerous driving offences and enhanced police powers, the potential role of intelligent speed adaptation (ISA) technology didn't get the attention it deserved. Read more → https://greens.org.au/act/news/we-know-speed-kills-how-about-controlling-car-instead-driver-feat-andrew-braddock

I'd like to speak about next steps on the Planning Review, now that we have seen the ACT Government response. I am speaking in my capacity as ACT Greens spokesperson for Planning.

The Greens want a vibrant city where people can move around easily. We want to preserve our remaining habitat and make sure we have plenty of trees and green spaces near where we live and work. We want a city where everyone has a home. We want a zero-emissions electric city that can deal with the heatwaves and flooding already locked into our rapidly changing climate. But in addition to the climate and extinction crises, Canberra is struggling with homelessness, a housing affordability crisis, a booming population and a growing gap between rich and poor. Most cities in the world are facing the same challenges and we must find a way through that looks after our people and our planet. We Greens back high-quality densification, including the “missing middle” – medium density housing the community have been calling for. This is the only way to tackle the problems we are facing. We need planning and design settings for a compact city that is less reliant on cars. We need careful densification through townhouses and apartments that are close to services. We need green spaces close to home. We need housing options that support people to stay in their community as they age. Find out more https://greens.org.au/news/opinion-how-should-act-build-missing-middle-ft-jo-clay-mla  

On Monday 30th January Network 2023 was launched. Canberra's bus users are not happy, I have heard this loud and clear. We are trying to encourage more people to use public transport in the short term due to construction disruption in the city, and in the longer term to address climate change and traffic congestion. But this network has gone backwards. Canberrans want a better bus network. People from all across Canberra in all parts of the community and from all walks of life have spoken to me about the need to improve our bus network. This is why I passed a motion last May in order to improve bus services by delivering minimum hourly services across the weekend and to see a return to a full bus network in 2022. Unfortunately, we have not seen either delivered yet. We also have not seen the full transition away from Disability Discrimination Act non-compliant buses. I understand the supply issues detailed by the Minister earlier this week. That was a really detailed explanation and I thank the Minister for being so open about the issues. I understand the role COVID has had to play in this. But the ACT Government has had 20 years to become compliant with the new standard. The Minister's statement on Tuesday set out that the Government only finalised the procurement of the last 26 leased diesel buses to replace the remainder of the non-compliant buses in March 2022, nine Months before the due date. In an environment where we knew that Covid was creating significant supply chain constraints, we should not have left such an important procurement until 5 minutes to midnight. Accessibility is essential for many Canberrans who have no other option but to rely on our public transport network. I want many more to use our public transport network as their best and first choice, not as their only option. We must do better. All of these people have been let down by the delays in this procurement. We need to plan our upgrades better and implement them earlier. We also need to deliver our infrastructure on time. We need a greater level of investment into building new infrastructure, including the long-awaited Woden Bus Depot, so that we can expand the bus network. Despite contracts being signed in 2018 for the design and construction of the Woden Zero-Emissions Bus Depot, it was only last week that $26.3m was announced to deliver the electrical infrastructure upgrades to facilitate these buses at Woden and Tuggeranong. We have had no announcement at all about electrical upgrades to facilitate zero-emissions buses at Belconnen or any other future northside depot. The September 2020 Zero-Emission Transition Plan for Transport Canberra put forward that the Woden Bus Depot would be completed by 2022 with another zero-emissions bus depot delivered by 2026. We are not on track. We are delayed. In November in response to my question on notice we found out that the Woden Depot is now not expected to be delivered until late 2024. I am lodging more questions with the Minister this week. I want to find out when we'll get a fourth bus depot for Canberra. I am concerned that this new zero-emissions depot may not be completed by the original deadline of 2026 based on what I've seen so far. We need more buses. We have not increased our bus fleet in line with our growing city and growing population, in fact in the last 33 years our bus fleet has shrunk. In 1990 the ACT had around 282 thousand residents. In 2022 we had more than 456 thousand residents. That's a population growth of more than 61%. We have also grown geographically. Every single year new suburbs are being built. Lawson, Whitlam, Molonglo, Ginninderry, Jacka, Kenny and more. In 1990, ACTION had 479 buses and this year we have 456. That is 23 fewer buses in our fleet 33 years later. This is why we need to choose which services to run during our disruptions. We do not have enough buses. How can we deliver improved services to all these new suburbs and new people, and maintain our existing suburb routes, if we are running fewer buses than we had over 30 years ago? Light rail is our great public transport success. I love light rail. The people who use it love it. I want to see it expand as soon as possible. But Light Rail is just one part of our public and active transport network. We must also invest more in our buses. We must transition faster to zero-emissions buses. We need more bus lanes and bus priority measures, more bus shelters and better footpaths connecting them. Without this investment, next year's bus network will be no better than this year. That will be the same story every year until we plan properly and invest sufficiently. We won't have a better bus network until we have more buses and improved bus infrastructure. I want to quote from the 2022 Infrastructure Australia Market Capacity Report. That report is not about ACT infrastructure specifically. It is about Australian infrastructure and it sets out the situation that will apply to all major projects from here on. That report said, and I quote, “the market is arguably at capacity, so project slippage is now expected. It is no longer a question of if a project will slip, but more likely when, by how long and at what cost.” I would also like to amplify one of their recommendations. They said we must “Improve industry capacity and capability by prioritising procurement and portfolio management and increasing pipeline transparency, certainty and confidence.” It is going to get harder to deliver major projects and to do it well and on time. So when deciding on transport infrastructure priorities we need to prioritise. We need to choose public transport and active travel first. The Greens understand this. It is essential if we are going to reduce our climate emissions and keep Canberra as a liveable city we can all move around in comfort. We need to plan well and follow through. We need to invest properly. We need to prioritise clearly. If we don't, we will continue to have a bus service that does not meet the needs of our people.    

This is an opinion piece published in the Canberra Times on 11 January 2023. Canberrans deserve a well-connected city, where they have a choice to live close to work and amenities, and a city built on principles of sustainability. High-quality, frequent, reliable, and sustainable public transport is central to that vision. Building light rail is about taking long-term decisions that address the serious challenges this city faces in the future - population growth, congestion, climate action and urban sprawl. Canberra's population will grow by around 100,000 people in the next decade. How will they move around? Our congestion is growing three times faster than that of other mainland capitals. A total of 63 per cent of our greenhouse gas emissions come from transport, mostly cars. The annual lost productivity cost of road congestion in the ACT is predicted to exceed $500 million by 2031. If we want a different outcome, we can't keep doing what we did before. Whether they lack the foresight, the imagination, or the fortitude, it is untenable for the Canberra Liberals to have no vision to address the reality of these challenges. Our city needs solutions, not platitudes. Experts across the disciplines, from town planners to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, are clear on how cities should develop. We can't solve climate change or congestion by building more roads. More roads just fill up with more cars. Instead, we need high-quality denser housing based around great public transport and walking and cycling corridors. The ACT Greens understand that we must invest in new public transport infrastructure such as light rail to make Canberra more sustainable and liveable as we grow. While any new public transport infrastructure will have a short- to medium-term cost, the longer-term cost of doing nothing is significantly greater. Those who have used light rail between Gungahlin and the city have already seen the benefits. We know that 43 per cent of people surveyed on light rail said they never used public transport before using light rail. The network will be even more useful once it connects to the fast-growing Parliamentary Triangle, Inner South, and Woden, and later to Belconnen, Russell, the airport, Tuggeranong, and other key places. Three months ago, the Commonwealth announced a new national security precinct in the Parliamentary Triangle for 5000 staff. If the Canberra Liberals had their way, would these staff drive from their homes out in Kowen or west of the Murrumbidgee River and park in Barton, significantly increasing emissions, congestion, and worsening Canberra's quality of life? The preferable alternative would be to give people the opportunity to live closer to where they work, to opt for a home on a dedicated public transport corridor. In this term of government, the ACT Greens have consistently argued in the Legislative Assembly for more and better buses, a faster transition to a zero-emissions bus fleet and faster delivery of light rail stages 2 and beyond. Not only has Stage 1 in Canberra been a great success, there are also many other examples of light rail being rolled out, such as the Gold Coast and Newcastle. While the NSW Liberal government has already committed to the project, NSW Labor has now promised to accelerate the Parramatta light rail as part of their election platform. Locally, we have seen welcome support from Federal governments of both persuasions, with the former Coalition government committing $132.5 million, and the Albanese government adding $85.9 million of funding. Canberra is a growing and evolving city. The vision of distant suburbs connected by wide, expensive freeways was in vogue in the 1970s, but this century's reality is we need something different. We need focused investment in schools, hospitals, local amenities, and high-quality, frequent, reliable, and sustainable public transport, including light rail. This is something the ACT Greens understand and will keep working to deliver.

As we come to the end of 2022, it has been a difficult year as we faced the third year of the pandemic.   We have continued throughout the year to do some incredible work, such as: - We are continuing to work on our promise of providing everyone with a decent home. - We have been working with the community sector to make sure everyone has access to the help that they need, when they need it, to ensure that the experience of homelessness is rare, brief, non-recurring. - In the local environment we have seen new species discovered in the ACT and the return of corroboree frogs to more parts of the Territory. - A highlight of the year has been the opening of the new Wildbark education centre at Mulligans Flat. - 2022 has seen some big wins with construction standards being improved to deliver on home energy efficiency. - Engineers are now going to be registered in the ACT and property developer licencing is coming. In 2023 I'm looking forward to: - Tackling how we approach heritage in this city so we identify, protect and celebrate what we have. - Making sure our environmental protection laws remain fit for purpose. - Introducing a human right to a healthy environment.   In closing I'd like to acknowledge all the community partners and volunteers we have been working with across my portfolios.   I look forward to working with you all in 2023!  

2022 has been a big year in the Clay office and I wanted to catch you all up one what we've been doing: – We've succeeded in getting the right to a healthy environment into the ACT Human Rights Act. – We released an active travel discussion paper to kick off a conversation about what we can do to encourage Canberrans to leave their cars behind. – We changed the law to increase the penalties for drivers who harm vulnerable road users. – We've put the heat onto the horse racing industry over the millions they receive in ACT taxpayer subsidies. – There's now a plan in place to change fruit netting to a standard that doesn't harm flying foxes. – I released a discussion paper on the circular economy to help us reduce waste and environmental impacts. – We've lodged an opposition to the proposed Tarago industrial waste incinerator and supported the community campaign against that facility. – The needs of the mountain biking community are back on the agenda thanks to our advocacy. Heading into 2023 I hope you have a really restful break with your friends and family and enjoy a happy Christmas!

Speech given 7 December 2022: Dhawura nguna dhawura Ngunnawal. This is Ngunnawal Country. Tonight we are gathering on Ngunnawal country. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Sovereignty was never ceded. I pay my respects to First Nations elders past and present and acknowledge them for their nurturing of future leaders, and I acknowledge any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here today.   I know many people and families have a connection to the ACT and Region. Canberra has always been a place where people come together to share knowledge and ideas.   To become a truly reconciled nation, to be able to truly care for country and for each other, we must listen to, understand and support First Nations people. This is why truth, treaty and voice is so important, and it's why I will be supporting a referendum for an Indigenous voice to Parliament, as well as the work of truth-telling and treaties. VIPs • Mr Dylan Alcott AO, Current Australian of the Year • Aunty Violet Sheridan, Ngunnawal Elder • Members of the ACT Inclusion Council • 2022 Inclusion Awards judges • 2022 Sponsors • Members of the ACT Disability Reference Group MLA's • Mr Andrew Barr MLA, ACT Chief Minister • Ms Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA, Minister for Health   • All the finalists and their supporters present tonight.   Good evening everyone.   Can I just start by saying, you all look amazing tonight. This is the first time I've been to the Chief Minister's Inclusion Awards, and it's a pretty awesome night, isn't it?   Tonight is an opportunity to celebrate the outstanding achievements of people with disability in our community, and to value allies of people with disability working to change the world for the better.   And it's been a heck of a year, right? I want to take you back, just for a moment, to January 2022. I was supposed to have a week off work, my first proper break since I started this job in November 2020. But that week, Canberra was hit by the Omicron wave, and the supercell storm that took out power for hundreds of houses and caused massive damage and disruption. I think a lot of us, particularly people who have the least personal capacity to adapt to living in isolation without reliable electricity, were feeling pretty down.   And then we had the Australian of the Year announcements. I remember sitting in my lounge room, watching Dylan Alcott's speech, and just cheering “yes!”   Because Dylan was talking about everything that was already on my to do list: • Look after people, especially those most at risk, during COVID-19. • Make the NDIS work the way it should. • Get more people with disability into employment. • And for people with disability to have pride in themselves.   And we're doing these things. On the day Dylan made that speech, the ACT Government made the decision to provide free Rapid Antigen Tests to every disability in home support worker, even though the Commonwealth wasn't willing to fund it at the time. No cost, no hassle, we just did it. Thank you, Chief Minister, for supporting that.   Working with the current Commonwealth Minister and other State Ministers, and an NDIA Board with more representation from people with lived experience of disability than ever before, we are taking on the big task of the NDIS Review. And I am very happy that the terms of reference include things that I advocated strongly for, like assessing the value of the NDIS not just the financial costs. And that any future changes to the NDIS will be co-designed with people with disability, just as the original design of the NDIS was done with people with disability. And when I say co-design, I mean the real deal.   This is what we've been doing in the ACT this year in developing our new ten-year Disability Strategy for the ACT, setting the agenda for how we continue our journey to being the most accessible, inclusive, welcoming city in Australia.   As the Chief Minister mentioned earlier, the consultation for the ACT's Strategy was co-designed and led by the ACT Disability Reference Group. Every conversation was led by people with disability. And it was not just inclusive, it was intersectional. We had people with disability leading conversations about their experience and goals as people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, as First Nations people, as members of the LGBTIQ+ community. I can't pop out to get milk in this city without someone literally stopping me in the street to tell me what a great experience they had participating in the ACT Disability Strategy.   I thank the Disability Reference Group for co-designing the consultation and all the facilitators for the time and energy they invested in delivering such productive consultation events. And to every person who participated – thank you. You have given me the next decade of to do lists. And can I please get a cheer for the Chief Minister and Treasurer who I'm sure is looking forward to my requests to fund all the good things we're going to do   Employment is one area that came through very clearly in the ACT Disability Strategy consultations, just as it did in Dylan's speech back in January. We are listening, and we are acting on it.   This group of people in the room tonight are excellent champions for these changes and the right people to be allies and supporters of this work. It reinforces to me the importance of the last piece of work I did with Sue Salthouse, just a few years ago, trying to get better data on unemployment for women with disabilities in the ACT. Meaningful, interesting work with a true living wage should be accessible to everyone, and it makes such a difference to our lives. Cultural and systemic change is a challenging, long-term proposition that requires ongoing effort and commitment.   Which brings me to the last thing on Dylan's to do list from last January: for people with disability to have pride in themselves.   Disability pride is a growing chorus that I hear throughout the community. Seeing the diversity of the way our bodies and minds work as a strength, and taking pride in disability being part of identity, is challenging. It's not what we've all internalised over our lives about what disability means.   But the truth is, our community is facing some big problems, and we need the voices of people with disability at every decision making table. We're facing the existential threats of living with COVID, climate change, the growing inequality crisis, a world in conflict. We need your creativity, your talents, your flexibility and adaptability, your ideas if we're going to solve this. We need all of you.   If we're going to build a better world, we have to do things differently so we don't just build back more of the same. We need people who see things differently, have different life experiences, think differently. It's a different world, and we're going to make it a better one together. I encourage you to push me to shake things up.   Thank you to all our finalists this evening who are putting these values into actions to ensure we all belong, participate and flourish, and that we all look out for each other.   I wish all our finalists the very best of luck this evening, however I know you are all winners and I thank you for making my community a better place to be!   Enjoy your evening everyone.   ENDS.  

As the Minister for a range of portfolios that fundamentally covers “People” 2022 has been a very busy year. Here are a few of the highlights: - We've made real progress towards the ACT's first residential eating disorders clinic in Coombs. It's going to be a beautiful place for people to get the help they need. - We made amendments to the Senior Practitioners Act to increase the safety of people in care, at risk of restrictive practices, to manage behaviour and keep everyone safe. - The Safe Haven in Belconnen has been in operation this year for people experiencing needing help with their mental health. The data is in, showing this facility has been a real help to Canberrans in need. - 2022 has also been a successful year for the Garran step-up/step-down service. We are expanding these services because the evidence shows they are working. - Another highlight of the last year was successfully advancing the idea that the review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) should take note of the value of the scheme, and not just its costs. We were also able to argue that future changes need to be co-designed with people with a disability. - 2022 also saw the ACT's co-design process for our disability strategy. I want to thank the more than 1,000 people who were involved in the process. In 2023 we want to roll out more of the mental health services which we have shown can really help people. More safe havens, more step-up/step-down facilities, more services delivered in the community.  We will also see an early intervention service for eating disorders commencing in the new year. Next year the work really starts with putting in place the supports for raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility, to help young people make better choices. I'm also looking forward to the work we are going to do on the social recovery from COVID, talking to NGOs and the community sector about making sure this process is community led and government supported. A big priority for next year is working on the community understanding of disability. I want to thank the community for all the advice and feedback they have given me throughout the last year and I look forward to that continuing in 2023. I hope you enjoy the summer period and I look forward to hearing from you next year!

As 2022 comes to a close, I think the Greens in Government can look back in pride at what we've accomplished this year. I'm particularly struck by the translation of ACT Greens policies and promises into real action in the ACT - a great testament to the Greens' efforts here in the ACT to work as Ministers in a power sharing Government.  Just a couple of examples just from my own Ministerial portfolios, for example: - We're charging ahead on EVs. We have set targets for the end of internal combustion engines and generous incentives to promote their uptake. And it's working with EV sales really starting to take off here in recent months. - We've secured government agreement to end the use of fossil fuel gas in the ACT and to electrify the city. This nation leading work is crucial to reaching zero net emissions, tackling climate change and making the ACT an exemplar sustainable city. - We're leading more nation leading reforms to strengthen the protection of tenants in rental housing by putting an end to “no-cause evictions” and setting new minimum standards for energy efficiency in rental properties. Tenants will have better security, more comfortable and safe housing, as well as energy bill relief. As we look forward to 2023 we will be raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12, and eventually 14 as we set about removing children from the criminal justice system. We also have a lot of exciting work to do delivering on our climate strategies. And there is so much more, both that we've achieved, and that we will achieve in coming years! Thank you to everyone who has supported us in the past year. I hope you all have a merry festive season and I look forward to working with you in the new year!

Today is National Threatened Species Day which has occurred annually for 86 years in commemoration of Australia's Tasmanian tiger, marked as extinct on 7 September 1936. I marked the day this morning at the Birdscaping landscape plantings on David St in O'Connor. The ACT Government continues to take urgent action to protect all threatened plant and animal species. We are fortunate to have so many unique species right in our backyard, and I call upon Canberrans to join the fight to protect our beloved but threatened native plants and animals. In the 2022-23 budget, the ACT Government invested $2.95 million over two years to study, expand and strengthen critical habitat zones across Canberra. These zones will provide vital connectivity between existing zones and help further protect threatened native animal and plant species from the effects of climate change and urbanisation. Other measures that Canberrans can take to protect threatened plant and animal species include planting bird attracting plants in your garden, joining a local volunteer group like the Canberra Ornithologists Group, and keeping your cats contained.  Next month, I look forward to taking part in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count and helping to monitor our flying friends. In the meantime, if you spot a rare bird or animal, you can enter your sightings online through Canberra Nature Map, iNaturalist or eBird. Every sighting can help inform important conservation decisions. Learn more about threatened species and communities on the ACT Environment website → https://www.environment.act.gov.au/

The ACT Government is asking Canberrans to consider the introduction of a right to a healthy environment in the Human Rights Act. A discussion paper has been released to inform consideration of this right. It poses questions for community feedback.  You now have the opportunity to help shape the content and definition of this human right. Have your say → https://yoursayconversations.act.gov.au/right-healthy-environment

Tonight it was my privilege to deliver the ACT Greens reply to the ACT Budget 22-23.   While this was not entirely a budget that a majority Greens government would have delivered there is a great deal we can be proud of.   This Budget demonstrates the impact of having Greens in government and how a collaborative approach to politics can result in good outcomes for the community.   Find out more → https://greens.org.au/act/news/budget-22-23-reply-speech-ft-shane-rattenbury

A ministerial statement by the ACT Minister for Mental Health marking Schizophrenia awareness week.

By building urban ecosystems, we will make Canberra a refuge for the plants, animals and ecological communities devastated by climate change, habitat loss, bushfires and urban sprawl.  So on this World Bee Day let's remember our untiring insect friends who power the pollination of the plants we love and need. Bee populations are under threat. Destruction of their natural habitat, intensive farming practices, and pests and diseases are just some of the complex reasons driving a decline in both the number and diversity of bees. The ACT is also making concerted efforts to reduce the use of bee-harming chemicals, phase out neonicotinoids and reduce the use of glyphosate and other pesticides that can decimate our bee-loved insect populations.  The ACT Government has adopted integrated weed management practices that reduces chemical use and incorporate other techniques such as flame weeding, biological controls and manual weed removal.  For more about World Bee Day → https://www.worldbeeday.org.au/ #WeNeedBees

Extending voting rights to include 16 year olds is an issue the ACT Greens have been committed to for years. The evidence is clear that our young people are capable and responsible, and that they have a huge stake in the future that governments are creating today. Other countries have made this important reform and the doomsayers have already been proven wrong. In this conversation we discuss the issues surrounding this reform. For more information → https://greens.org.au/act/news/have-your-say-expanding-voting-rights-young-people-act

With all the talk about e-bikes lately it was great to get out and talk to Jake from Canberra Electric Bikes in Phillip about the possibilities of these vehicles in the Canberra transport mix. Between reducing congestion, encouraging exercise, and slashing greenhouse gas emissions e-bikes have the potential to revolutionise the way we get to work and play, and all for the better. For too many Canberrans right now a quality e-bike, suitable for their daily use or for carrying cargo, is out of reach. Hopefully we can find ways to support businesses like Jake's and get more Canberrans on two wheels, and out of cars faster!

This week, I visited Patchwork Urban Farm with Tim Hollo to hear how Karina and Mikey's farm is going! It was great to talk about the importance of urban agriculture and the ACT's development of a Capital Food and Fibre Strategy, which will provide an exciting opportunity to shape our future agriculture industry.  

Expanding voting rights to 16 and 17 year olds will result in better, longer-term policies, and deeper engagement with young people on decisions that could affect the rest of their lives. Yesterday I spoke with Dr Justin Barker of the Youth Coalition of the ACT about what the data and evidence shows us about young people's capacity to vote. You can give your feedback on the issue and the legislation by taking the survey on the ACT Legislative Assembly website. The survey closes on the 7th of Feb, so share with your networks and make sure your voice is heard on this important issue! Be heard now → https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MVV29PV

I hope you've had some rest and recuperation over recent weeks -- although it has been a tumultuous, confusing, and sometimes deeply frustrating time. I wanted to recap for you how we got to this point, share a bit about where we're going from here -- and to acknowledge the very real challenges and concerns we're all facing. Read more → https://greens.org.au/act/news/covid-advice-has-changed-statement-shane-rattenbury

My Culture, My Canberra is a celebration of community - where you will hear from Canberrans from all walks of life, coming together to celebrate our differences. This month's speakers are Ericha Smyth (Eky) and Wisnu Trianugeraha (Wes).   Eky is currently studying a Bachelor of International Relations at the Australian National University with a Southeast Asian Studies minor. Since moving to Australia in 2016, Ericha has been involved in various Southeast Asian affairs including PPIA ACT, interning at the Victorian Government Trade and Investment Southeast Asian division, and as a delegate of AIYEP 2021.   Ericha seeks to promote cross-cultural understanding and enhance Southeast Asian literacy in local Australian communities.   Wes is a Master of Public Policy student at the ANU. As an Indonesian, he has spent years volunteering at a youth-led non-government organisation providing the space for young Indonesians and Australians to connect and share their cultures.

Jo Clay MLA reads her recent opinion piece on why the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference mattered to Canberra.

Featuring: Dr Sophie Lewis, Minister Shane Rattenbury MLA and Minister Rebecca Vassarotti MLA, and Tim Hollo Last night Dr Sophie Lewis, ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment, spoke about a recent report prepared by her office outlining the ACT's scope 3 emissions footprint. Scope 3 emissions are the emissions that are generated outside our borders, including the emissions to transport goods into the ACT, as well as emissions that result from food production, building materials, clothing and any other consumables that are imported into the ACT. Under greenhouse gas accounting practices, these emissions are counted in the area where they occur, so aren't included in the ACT's annual emissions inventory. This report, commissioned by Minister Rattenbury in 2020, makes the ACT the first jurisdiction in Australia to calculate the community's indirect greenhouse gas emissions from the goods and services that we buy. The report outlines key sectors contributing to the ACT's scope 3 emissions and suggests a pathway forward to reducing them. The ACT has made great progress in cutting our emissions locally and it's important that we continue to do so. This report is a reminder of the extent of change that is required throughout our economy and supply chains in order to decarbonise and that we can influence emissions beyond our borders. It also highlights the importance of reducing consumption and of all jurisdictions reaching net zero emissions and finding ways to produce zero emissions, low-impact products.

A recording of an online panel discussion about the COP26 United Nations climate summit currently underway in Glasgow. Shane Rattenbury, ACT Minister for Emissions Reductions, hosts a conversation with Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young who is attending the conference, Professor Mark Howden who is the Director of the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions and Chair of the ACT Climate Change Council, and Jahin Tanvir, local climate activist and 2021 Young Canberra Citizen of the Year who attended the pre-COP 'Youth4Climate' event in Italy.

This month our speaker is Dr Tjanara Goreng Goreng. Tjanara is a Wakka Wakka woman, academic, unionist, former public servant and proud grandmother. She's dedicated her life to tackling big problems like First Nations sovereignty, international mining conventions, employment and workplace retention, family violence, homelessness and the growing inequality gap. Tjanara will share what culture means to her and how Canberra's many cultures make us stronger.

Speech given in the Legislative Assembly in reply to the 2021-22 ACT Budget by Shane Rattenbury MLA as leader of the ACT Greens.

For this month's My Culture, My Canberra Jo Clay MLA is joined by Nataša Šojić and Skye Predavec discussing their Balkan heritage.   My Culture, My Canberra is a celebration of community - where you will hear from Canberrans from all walks of life, coming together to celebrate our differences.   Nataša is a proud Serbian Orthodox woman and the ACT Greens candidate for Fenner. She's the first in her family to be born in Australia! Her family's heritage is from Serbia and more specifically, Herzegovina. Nataša will reflect on growing up in Regional Victoria with English as her second language, as well as forming her identity unique to her family.   Skye is a PPE student at ANU who moved to Canberra for University. A proud Queer Woman, her heritage is important to her, from Scotland to Croatia and from a Grandad who fought against the Ustaše in WW2, or a Granny who made the best shortbread in the world.

Join Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr Sue Wareham, former Senator Scott Ludlam, nonviolent conflict resolution expert Felicity Gray, WagePeace activist Margaret Pestorius and Green Institute Director and our candidate for Canberra, Tim Hollo, to discuss what it would actually look like to have an approach to international relations in contemporary Australia that centred peace and nonviolence.   The Morrison government recently announced that it will spend over $90 billion to purchase nuclear submarines that will undermine friendly and trusting international relations.   This has launched a much needed discussion about how we as a nation want to engage with the world.   But the many voices for peace have been missing from this debate.   It's a travesty that any discussion about peace and nonviolence is ignored and dismissed by a hawkish and bullying government, a timid Labor opposition, and a media establishment who can't seem to envision anything other than the status quo.   That's why we are presenting a conversation on peace and nonviolence in Australian foreign policy, co-hosted with the Green Institute and the Medical Association for the Prevention of War.

Jo is joined by two amazing women, Dr Bosibori Better and Dr Jane Chimungeni-Brassington, for the first session in a new monthly series 'My Culture, My Canberra.'   Jane and Bosi share some great ideas about their experiences and how we can make Canberra even better. 

The ACT Greens team discuss the challenges, opportunities and different options we can use to secure stronger climate action. ACT Minister for Emissions Reduction Shane Rattenbury and MLA for Ginnindera Jo Clay update us on the state of play in the ACT - the only jurisdiction in Australia with policies aligned to the IPCC's recommendations. Greens candidates for the federal election Tim Hollo and Dr Tjanara Goreng Goreng reflect on the state of federal climate policies and the implications of the IPCC report on the upcoming election campaign. We then hear from participants on their view on the effectiveness of different strategies, messages and goals, and how we can use our unique role as citizens living in the national capital to influence federal climate policy.

This podcast is based on a statement I made to the Legislative Assembly last week on the important work we are doing as part of the ACT Healthy Waterways program. Our local waterways support so much life and are one of the great things about living in Canberra. Many of us enjoy visiting these waterways regularly, whether for exercise, recreation or social events. They are also hubs for biodiversity, supporting a myriad of plant and animal life. For years now, blue-green algal blooms have afflicted our urban lakes. Lake Tuggeranong is regularly closed in summer due to outbreaks of blue-green algae, and last summer was one of the worst for blue-green algae in Lake Burley Griffin in years. Our other urban ponds are not immune to this problem either. Blue-green algal blooms are a symptom of urban water pollution, which means that there are likely to be other, less apparent pollutants in our waterways as well. Our urban lakes and ponds were designed to trap pollution bound for the Murrumbidgee River and downstream communities, and they are doing this job extremely well.  However, today's community expectations are broader than just this purpose. The community also values our lakes and ponds for recreation, amenity, and for the commercial values they provide. They can be equally great places to hold a picnic or a triathlon.  Residents and businesses alike are attracted to lakeshore views—think of the Kingston foreshore. But these values are diminished every time there is an algal bloom. The ACT Government has just wrapped up a $94M co-investment program with the Australian Government to improve water quality in the region—the ACT Healthy Waterways Project.  Nineteen water quality assets—raingardens, wetlands, ponds and channel restorations—were constructed. Over 460,000 water plant seedlings were planted in 17 of the water quality assets and these grew to cover a combined treatment area of almost nine hectares. In addition, the riparian zone of the Molonglo River upstream of Lake Burley Griffin was restored to arrest channel erosion. The area around these projects was landscaped and over 160,000 herbs, shrubs and trees were planted from a plant list of local native species. Together these projects are now reducing the yearly load of pollutants in our waterways by an estimated average of 1900 tons. Around twenty percent of the pollution that was destined for Lake Tuggeranong is now being intercepted by the seven water quality assets built there. Feedback from residents about the water quality assets is very positive, with many locals appreciating the amenity and opportunities for exercise these afford. Birdwatchers have enjoyed visits to the assets and drawn attention to some rare migratory visitors to the wetlands. The estimated benefits of these water quality assets are based on water quality models.  Healthy Waterways monitored water quality across Canberra and the performance of several existing assets to improve the accuracy of these models, giving us a better understanding of their value. Research was conducted by the University of Canberra to understand the links between pollution in stormwater and Lake Tuggeranong sediments, and the occurrence of algal blooms in the lake. What we learned from this work is that more water quality improvements are needed.  Stormwater coming from Canberra suburbs is carrying high levels of pollution into our lakes. Research by the University of Canberra suggests that it is possible to suppress an algal bloom in the Lakes via the use of “Phoslock” which is a clay product developed by the CSIRO which binds phosphorus in water with sediments, and reduces unwanted algal growth. Unfortunately, it was also determined that four to five times the amount of phosphorus required to sustain a bloom was still entering the lake from its catchment and this would very quickly negate the benefits of any such suppressant. Until we can manage this, there is no point in spending resources locking up the phosphorus in the lake sediments as the algae will be amply fed by phosphorus pollution entering from the catchment. The work also shows that it will be a major challenge for water quality assets to filter out all of this pollution before it reaches our urban lakes, where it can cause problems like blue-green algal blooms. So, water quality assets are an essential tool to improve water quality but we can't rely on these alone to solve the problem. To stop these algal blooms, we also need to reduce catchment pollution at its source. Every lake and pond is different, but these findings are relevant outside of the Tuggeranong catchment, which is the catchment most intensively studied. We know, for example, that Lake Burley Griffin is on the cusp of either good or poor water quality. Last summer it tipped towards poor water quality, after improvements made over the last decade. We know we need to do more to prevent pollution from entering the lake in wet years like last summer.  We need to reduce inputs of pollution from suburbs that drain into Lake Burley Griffin and be careful that any future developments in the catchment do not tip the lake towards more regular episodes of poor water quality and blue-green algal blooms. So what steps can we take to further improve water quality? The ACT Government continues to invest in innovative ways to manage water quality problems. The ACT's first large-scale floating wetland has recently been deployed in the Village Creek bay of Lake Tuggeranong. The aim of this wetland, together with modifications to the gross pollutant trap just upstream, is to discourage blue-green algal growth by taking up nutrients that would otherwise pollute the water.  This wetland is undergoing a two-year trial after which it will either be left in place or relocated to a stormwater pond. I had the privilege of inspecting this great industry-supported innovation when I launched the floating wetland earlier this year. This autumn, ACT NRM and Healthy Waterways joined forces to trial a new H2OK public education program in five suburbs across Canberra that focussed on preventing autumn leaves from entering drains. Nutrients rapidly leach out of leaves on the ground, so leaves that accumulate in roadside drains contribute to the nutrient pollution in stormwater. The H2OK program encouraged householders to keep drains adjacent to their blocks clear of leaves. The results of this trial are now being evaluated by Griffith University. The Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate has begun planning for a new program of work: Stage 2 of Healthy Waterways. In Stage 1 the focus of infrastructure was on water quality assets that filter pollutants from stormwater. But as we have just heard, water research and monitoring suggests that this approach is not going to solve the problem alone. Therefore, in Stage 2 the Healthy Waterways team is exploring new ways to prevent stormwater pollution from occurring in the first place. Pollution is generated in urban areas because runoff is diverted to concrete channels rather than flowing through soils and vegetation, which act to cleanse it before it makes its way into waterways. So the team is investigating infrastructure to make use of green corridors and spaces within our catchments to cleanse stormwater. They are also looking into ways to store and slowly release stormwater so that it does not overload the water quality assets in the system. Plans are being drawn up in parts of the Tuggeranong catchment and in selected locations across Canberra, including in the Yerrabi Pond catchment. It is anticipated that Stage 2 of Healthy Waterways will rely on much more than just infrastructure to improve water quality. An extensive public education campaign is planned that will focus on what households can do to prevent leaves and grass from entering drains, building on lessons from the trial this past autumn. EPSDD will also work with the Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate to understand lifecycle costs of assets and how to better manage green spaces, and continue its work with the Suburban Land Agency to reduce the amount of pollution escaping from new suburbs under development. Plans for Stage 2 research and water monitoring are focussed on narrowing down the sources and quantum of pollution so that infrastructure can be sited where it is the most cost-effective. Water quality models will be upgraded to be more accurate and to take into account the measured performance of recently constructed water quality assets. This will allow for comprehensive catchment plans to be developed for urban lakes and ponds, as well as some rural catchments. The plans will detail various options—actions, assets and their locations—available to Government to manage Canberra's water pollution problems, and their associated costs and benefits. Therefore, the Government is working to build on the achievements of Stage 1 of Healthy Waterways, both for the benefit of the environment and the wellbeing of Canberra's residents and businesses that make use of waterways. Because, as the recent and comprehensive Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity emphasises, environmental health is not an alternative to economic health but a contributor to it. The Dasgupta Review is an independent, global review on the Economics of Biodiversity led by Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta who is the Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Cambridge. The Review was commissioned in 2019 by the British Treasury and has been supported by an Advisory Panel drawn from public policy, science, economics, finance and business interests. Healthy catchments produce clean water that not only benefits aquatic flora and fauna but all those who rely on our lakes and ponds, including businesses and community. This information highlights the strong correlation the Healthy Waterways initiative has with the Wellbeing domains, namely Environment and climate, Social connection and Living standards respectively. The cost–benefit analysis of the original Healthy Waterways initiative shows the program has present value benefits of $127 million and present value costs of $76 million. Sensitivity analyses indicate the net present value ranges from $24 million to $126 million and the benefit–cost ratio ranges from 1.3 to 2.6. These results indicate that the program was economically viable as the benefits of the program outweigh the costs. I would like to commend the achievements of the Healthy Waterways initiative and congratulate the small, dedicated team at EPSDD who delivered this work.

I gave a version of this speech to the Inaugural Australian Repair Summit last week and I'd like to share the important issue of the Right To Repair to the online audience now. This is a really important issue, and one that I'm very passionate about, both as a Minister for Consumer Affairs, but also as a Green and an environmentalist. The summit had the very specific intent of engaging with Government, policy makers and industry to cover detailed and thorny questions arising from the emergence of the Right to Repair movement in Australia – itself a response to ongoing and large-scale trends. But I think it's appropriate to start from a much wider angle in order to better prepare us for zeroing in on the nitty gritty – and perhaps even to suggest a guiding philosophical viewpoint. I'm actually talking about our essence as human beings. One of the universal attributes of the human species is our creativity, our inventiveness, our ingenuity. Throughout human history and pre-history, those have been intricate, connected things, both within individuals and across cultures and societies. You only have to look at ancient crafts like knitting. The earliest surviving pieces of knitting are several socks found in Egypt and dating to between 1000 and 1300 AD. When I look at these amazing thousand-year-old socks I'm struck not just by how inventive they are in a technical sense… Like, who first had the idea to use a pair of needles to create these endless interlocking loops? We have no idea. Was it someone just fiddling around with a piece of string and some sticks? … and not even just by how practical and carefully thought out they are, with proper heel and toe shaping, and tapering calves, and fine cotton yarn. … I'm struck by how creative and how beautiful they are, in a way that's entirely superfluous to their practical function. Yet this superfluous beauty is a common factor across a vast proportion of these kinds of artefacts. It suggests not just that knitting these socks was probably important to their creator, but that creativity and what you might call emotional ownership is an integral part of human ingenuity. We tend to take these kinds of intricate patterns for granted now, assuming a team of sock designers, and complex industrial-scale machinery. But back then, it would have been an act of personal artistry, combined with the practical inventiveness of knowing how to thread those different coloured strands on the inside of the sock so that they didn't spoil the pattern. There's a whole huge explosion of creativity and invention behind these socks. Again, we don't know how long – years or decades or centuries - it took to get from those first awkward loops on two sticks that we can imagine, to flat, clumsy garments, to shaping and patterns like this, but it illustrates another element to the connected nature of human ingenuity – the way ideas spark from one person to the next to the next, like batons passed in a relay, improved upon or reimagined with each pair of hands and eyes, from the first wooden wheels or simple canoes, to an aircraft's retractable landing gear or a 400-metre-long container ship. But there's a paradox at work in our modern civilisation, thanks to thousands of years of this relay of ingenuity. Most of the stuff all of us use now, we couldn't make from scratch in a pink fit. In that sense, our own inventiveness as a species has robbed us of ownership of our inventiveness as individuals. Yet surely such a fundamental human attribute as our creativity and our ingenuity, and our ownership of those things, has to also be considered a fundamental human right – as important for us to access as the right to air and water and shelter and food. The right to tinker with our stuff, to get it fixed or changed or improved, to manage it how we want, make it last as long as we can. The right to get it repaired. Which gets us to the point we've arrived at now. It's not only the complexity of current technology that robs individuals of the kind of connection to our things and the ownership of ingenuity that I've been talking about, it's corporate behaviour and existing gaps or imbalances in our laws. I'm sure I don't need to spend a lot of time detailing what is happening, or why it's a problem from multiple perspectives – proprietary service manuals that make it impossible for independent repair businesses to do their work, companies that simply don't make available the replacement parts for their products, warranties that are voided if a consumer or independent repairer so much as unscrews a backplate. As the ACT's Minister for Consumer Affairs from November 2012 until late last year, I've been working on this issue for a number of years, and as a political party the Greens both federally and in the ACT have been aware of it for some time as well. Just now, I focused on the fundamental and rather abstract right of human beings to express – and own - their inventiveness, but specific consumer rights around products they've purchased are also crucial. As a matter of principle, consumers should be able to use an independent repairer or access the resources needed to repair a product themselves. Further - and very much a central concern of environmental and green groups worldwide - with our species now consuming far more of the world's resources than the planet can handle, preserving resources and reducing waste have become existential needs.   E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in Australia – growing three times as fast as other municipal waste. The average Australian household generates 73 kilograms of it annually, while globally the total figure is more than 50 million tonnes a year. We're not disposing of it properly, and we're squandering resources – lithium, tellurium, copper - that will eventually run out. The deliberate shortening of a product's lifespan – planned obsolescence - by refusing to supply component parts or discontinuing software updates needs to be countered. Companies and manufacturers might like it; ordinary people hate it. They want to purchase a washing-machine or a laptop knowing it will last many years and that it can be repaired. The growth of grassroots efforts such as repair cafes speak to our hunger to move away from the throwaway culture that commercial interests have pushed us towards. The Bower, a registered charity committed to reuse and repair, now has four locations in Sydney and a whole range of activities from donation and collection services to repair cafes to and e-tool library and a Tiny House Building course focused on using recycled and reclaimed materials, extending the lifespan of all sorts of things in inspiring ways. We've seen some egregious conduct at the corporate level. As of February this year, American company John Deere was still failing to honour its agreement to voluntarily make its repair tools, software guides and diagnostic equipment available to ordinary farmers. The push for the Right to Repair is no longer simply happening at the grassroots level. Government recognition of the problem is building. Last month the Australian Government Productivity Commission released its draft report assessing the need for Right to Repair laws in Australia, with “a focus on whether consumers face any unnecessary barriers to repair that require a government policy response.” The short answer, of course, is that most of us here today think they do face those barriers, and a government policy response is required. The perspective of manufacturers does need to be considered, of course, but we also need to be a bit cynical when there's a push from certain companies to treat this purely as a matter of security and IP protection, when in fact to a large degree their motivation is rent-seeking. We also have justification for being cynical about corporations that promise to police themselves. I'm not going to name any particular companies, but there have been examples of companies voluntarily undertaking to make software and repair manuals available and then arguing that this undertaking meant that right-to-repair legislation was unnecessary. Years later the problem continues, and we can see that these companies were simply kicking the can down the road. In the ACT, we're already well ahead of the Productivity Commission's report in our own thinking. In fact, I'm quite proud to say that our small jurisdiction is the one that has pushed this issue along, including precipitating the Commission's report. On the ACT's initiative, the Consumer Affairs Forum in 2019 pushed for an examination of potential policy options to address the issue, and a formal referral to the Productivity Commission was the Forum's recommended outcome. As noted, this is only a draft report from the Productivity Commission, and I'm sure you're aware that there is opportunity to make submissions towards the report's final version. For anyone who doesn't know, the deadline for this is the 23rd of July – so only two weeks away. The report rightly notes the complexity of these issues and the need to balance conflicting interests. I do urge any of you, especially those with particular areas of specialisation or unique insights, to make a submission. Meanwhile, here in the ACT we already have new initiatives ready to launch as a result of the work we've done to date. In August, consistent with the Commission's recommendation, the ACT's new enforceable conciliation will commence. On its own, this is already a positive outcome, and if it can be supported by new legislation such as the Productivity Commission's recommendations for a “super complaint” mechanism, and for the ACCC to develop and publish estimates for how long certain products can reasonably be expected to last – in other words, pushing back on planned obsolescence - it should become a powerful tool for consumers and consumer advocacy groups. One of the most significant areas that needs the appropriate balance is the current clash between intellectual property rights and the right of consumers and independent repairers to access repair information. On the one hand, manufacturers consider some of this information to be proprietary in nature, and making it more accessible could impact on the willingness of companies to invest in innovation, particularly in areas such as video and on-line gaming. In some areas, however, there can also be safety and other concerns resulting from the use of information by unskilled repairers. On the other hand, there surely needs to be some kind of positive obligation on manufacturers to make repair supplies and information available to third parties. The Commission is specifically calling for input on this concept of “positive obligation”. There also needs to be an overhaul of the language used in warranty agreements, to prevent a warranty being voided – or in some cases to prevent the consumer from wrongly believing that the warranty will be voided - if they use an alternative repairer. With regard to e-waste, various Australian governments have addressed concerns through product stewardship schemes such as the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme – the NTCRS. As the situation stands, however, there is little incentive for these schemes to do anything other than recycle collected e-waste. This is resulting in otherwise functional products being dismantled and destroyed for their component materials, rather than being put to higher value uses through repair and resale. The Commission is seeking evidence on whether product labelling standards would provide net benefits to the community, and how the government and industry might jointly approach such a scheme. The Commission has also recommended that the Australian Government should amend the NTCRS to include repair and reuse as an option. I think the Productivity Commission has done good work and I genuinely thank them for the ongoing effort on this really important and potentially transformative issue. I will make one additional comment about their draft, and their current recommendations. That is the fact that their analysis and recommendations seem quite focused on the end product, and potential solutions for consumers at the end of the line. That is, what can a consumer do when they inevitably have a product that lacks the longevity or transparency that they deserve. That's fine, but how can we change this paradigm of consumers receiving such products in the first place? How can we stop manufacturers making products that leave the onus on the consumers to seek end-of-the-line solutions? I would like to see more work and more focus on the beginning of the production line, not the end. What obligations should we be placing on the producers of the things we use, to meet certain standards before they can be sold, imported, manufactured in Australia? Standards around transparency and repairability - qualities that should just be a default for consumers? Of course it's a thorny area in this ‘free market' world, but I think that manufacturers need further scrutiny, possibly more regulation, even if it is just for certain key products where repairability and transparency standards have truly dropped away. Campaigns around the world have identified some of these – things like farm equipment, smartphones, and major electrical and white goods.  But now I want to circle back briefly to where I started. The socks. It's easy in this kind of area to get lost in the niceties of corporate responsibility and consumer legislation. And in fact that's important. That's our job. But as we work on those things today and in the future, let's try to remember, when we can, this broader idea that human ingenuity is an essential part of our nature… … and that all human beings have a right to express and use it. I think it will help us navigate this space more thoughtfully, and come up with solutions that work. I wish you every success  at this summit in finding solutions and advancing this important cause.

ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury MLA, and ACT Minister for Youth Justice Emma Davidson MLA make the case for raising the age of criminal responsibility.

Emma Davidson MLA and Jo Clay MLA meet up to try and figure out why Gary Humphries was rabbiting on about statues

Our community has united in an unprecedented way to make sure that Canberrans in need are supported through challenging times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This is something every Canberran should be proud of. However, there is still room for growth, particularly when we look at the injustices and unique challenges Canberrans with disability face. The community has actively engaged and co-designed with the ACT Government over the past few months. Together, we have hosted several roundtables to discuss matters such as the impact that the single-use plastics ban will have on the community. Collaboration has been critical for the roll out of the ACT COVID-19 Disability Strategy and ACT Disability Justice Strategy. We know that people with disability, their families, and carers needed additional support following a significantly challenging time. That's why we have supported over 300 Canberrans through the Respite and Recovery Grants, delivering $150,000 to address some of these challenges such as isolation, financial pressures and stress. Support is responsive to individuals' needs and varies from alleviating financial stress like paying bills, getting help in the garden, reengage with community activities and to purchase technology to support better communication and active engagement with friends and community. However, this is just one example. We must continue to find ways to support the wellbeing and resilience of people with disability across the community to create a more inclusive and better normal. This can be seen in the work ACT Health has done to make COVID-19 vaccines accessible for people with disability at the Garran Surge Centre. To get there, we must co-design with people with disability and sector stakeholders. Unfortunately, we are hearing more instances of how people with disability are being excluded from conversations around programs that support them such as the 1A vaccine rollout in residential care and changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme. People with disability and the people that support them have been clear, they want to participate in the decision-making process. These issues impact their everyday living and they must be involved from the start. To every Canberran with disability; you do have a voice and we will continue working with you in shaping better outcomes for our future. I will be here with you the whole way and will continue to amplify your voices. Your involvement will help create a more inclusive, accessible, and better Canberra. To get involved in the conversation, access community and advocacy organisations, and read our strategies and progress visit involvedcbr.com.au or communityservices.act.gov.au/disability_act. You can also contact my office on email Davidson@act.gov.au

Ft: Emma Davidson MLA, In early 2020 I got stuck in New York as the world came to grips with the COVID pandemic. I had been supporting a group of Aboriginal and Pacific First Nations women who went there to tell their story and build relationships internationally, in their work to end violence against First Nations women. Over the month, I watched the city go from business as usual to what looked like the beginning of the apocalypse. ... Read the article in full at: https://greenagenda.org.au/2021/06/has-covid-19-made-women-more-insecure-at-home/ 

Ft: Shane Rattenbury MLA, Jaguar recently announced that it will no longer manufacture petrol or diesel vehicles from 2025 but will focus exclusively on its range of electric vehicles (EVs). Since the cheapest Jaguar currently starts at around $60,000, and you can pay over $300,000 for a top-of-the-range model, this might not seem like headline news. Barring an unlikely lottery win, most of us are never going to buy a brand-new Jag no matter what fuel it runs on. But it draws attention to something that governments around the world need to think about as we travel down the road of the EV revolution: The upfront purchase price of EVs risks locking out the very people – those on low incomes – who would benefit the most from the cheap running costs of EVs. This is especially so in Australia, where the Federal Government's failure on EV policies has left us at the back of the pack, with a poorly developed EV market. Governments need to recognise this problem of EV equity and take steps to make EVs more accessible to more people.

Ft: Shane Rattenbury MLA, Address to the Smart Energy Conference 2021

Ft: Shane Rattenbury MLA, Australia's so-called “gas led recovery” is shaping up to be even more hazardous than we thought. The Climate Council has today released a report Kicking the Gas Habit on the harmful health effects of gas, ranging from the hazardous substances used in unconventional gas extraction to the health consequences – particularly for kids – of using gas in our homes. New research estimates that living in a home with gas appliances is responsible for 12 percent of childhood asthma, a comparable risk to that of living with a smoker. When ventilation is poor, levels of harmful contaminants can reach concentrations that significantly exceed safe or legal limits.

Ft: Jo Clay MLA, I've worked in the recycling industry for over a decade. When I began, the buzz was all about zero waste. This focussed on the linear goal of keeping waste out of landfill. No one much minded where it went so long as it didn't cross a weighbridge. Exciting times! The ACT set the world's first big target in the 1990s, proudly painting No Waste by 2010 on all the garbage trucks (presumably to promote their upcoming redundancy). Jurisdictions around Australia and the world followed with their own zero waste targets. But no one has ever delivered on the promise of a waste-free society.

Ft: Andrew Braddock MLA, To paraphrase the late American R & B musician Luther Ingram, If Loving Trees Is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Right. Maybe not everyone is willing to wear their tree-hugging heart on their sleeve like I am, but is there any real disagreement on the benefits of trees, not just in the bush but in our urban landscapes? They provide shade in our parks and over our streets and pathways. They cool our homes and beautify our suburbs. They reduce air pollution and help remove not just CO2 but nitrous oxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ground-level ozone. They provide habitat and enhance biodiversity. They can provide wind-breaks and shelter from rain. These benefits are nice to have. They're also, if you're inclined this way, able to be expressed in an actual dollar value. For example, New York's urban trees remove enough air pollutants to provide an estimated $9.5 million of value to the city every year. Across Australia, homes with trees in their gardens or in their street achieve consistently higher sale prices than homes without. The ACT Government needs no convincing on the tree thing. It has already set a target of 30% urban tree cover by 2045. The question now is not a matter of whether or why, but how?

Ft: Andrew Braddock MLA, Almost one in five Canberrans lives in Gungahlin. Or to be more accurate, one in five Canberrans sleeps in Gungahlin. More than 25 years after the first houses went up in Ngunnawal and Palmerston, there's still no cinema (you'll have to wait another year), no hospital (unless you're a pet) and not nearly enough jobs for the 76,088 residents who call Gungahlin home. This is a problem, but I see it as a great opportunity.

Ft: Jo Clay MLA, November this year will mark the centenary of the opening of the train line from Cooma to Bombala. It's a sad anniversary, to be honest, because trains stopped running beyond Cooma 35 years ago this month. An enormous amount of work and expense went into creating a major piece of transport infrastructure that was only used for 65 years. We need to start asking serious questions about what we want to see happen with this important infrastructure.