No. 17 
Investing in a carbon-neutral Canberra

Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Simon Corbell, today announced funding of almost $2.6 million in the 2010-11 ACT Budget to continue the ACT’s progress towards a carbon neutral future.

“The ACT Government has committed to a target of zero net emissions by 2060 and the introduction of legislated greenhouse gas reduction targets,” Mr Corbell said. 

“The Budget provides almost $2.6 million over four years to establish the frameworks and arrangements necessary to achieve long-term, meaningful cuts in the Territory’s greenhouse gas emissions.”

The funding will provide for the establishment of a framework for the ACT Government to become carbon neutral, one of the proposals under the Draft Sustainable Energy Policy 2010-2020. It will also establish the systems for the long term measuring of overall greenhouse gas emissions for the ACT, data that will be used for tracking progress in reducing emissions and helping to develop new strategies.

In addition, the funding will provide extra resources for the Department of the Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water to develop new policies, and continue to implement existing policies, that significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

These include an electric vehicles network; the development of Weathering the Change Action Plan 2, due to be released for consultation this year, which will guide the ACT’s response to climate change; and the ACT Electricity Feed-in Tariff Scheme, including the proposal to possibly expand the scheme to include renewable energy installations beyond the current capacity limit of 30kW.

“The Government has already taken steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the ACT, such as the introduction of the landmark ACT Electricity Feed-in tariff and the range of ACTSmart programs that help households reduce their energy use,” Mr Corbell said.

“We are building a solid foundation upon which a more sustainable future can be built but there is much work still to be done, and this Budget recognises that.

“This funding of almost $2.6 million will ensure that we can continue to monitor our progress in reducing emissions and establish new programs that enable all of us to play a role in achieving a low carbon future.”

4 May 2010
Media Contact:   	Patrick Cronan 		6205 0401 (w) 	0432 758 224 (m)
			patrick.cronan@act.gov.au