Sandra Kanck
Leader South Australian Democrats
Member of the Legislative Council
Friday 5th
March 2004
WHY
THE WAIT ON GREEN PROJECTS?
The SA
Democrats have welcomed the State Government’s commitment to ‘Thinker in
Residence’ Herbert Girardet’s blueprint for environmental reforms in South
Australia but want to know why the extraordinary delay in implementing those
reforms.
“The
reforms action announced today are not scheduled to be implemented until after
the next state election leaving open the possibility that they will never be
implemented,” says Sandra Kanck, Leader of the SA Democrats.
“Should
the minority Rann Government lose office at the next state election we will be
back at square one.
“Indeed
the proposed five-star energy rating for new housing is a case in point.
“This
important environmental initiative was first announced by the former Liberal
Government in 2001.
“A lead
time was built into the proposal to enable the building industry to conform with
the new specifications.
“The
2002 state election intervened, we had a change of government, the plans stalled
and now we are told the new timeline is to extended to July 2006.
“The
building industry already has had 3 years warning. Adelaide is now awash for
energy hungry boxes that are adding significantly to electricity consumption and
greenhouse gas emissions.
“Mike
Rann should stop hedging his bets and commit to the implementation of most of
the reforms before the March 2006 state election.”
