ESTIMATES COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS – 17 JUNE 2010
Mr CHANDLER: But you must have vision, minister?
Mr HAMPTON: The vision is to maintain their independence. Again, I would be very worried if there
was a change of government in terms of the EPA’s independence …
Mr TOLLNER: I think most people would be.
Mr HAMPTON: Well, you have asked the question. As I said, you have been on the public record
about what you really think about the EPA, and I would be really concerned. What I would not want to
see, for sure, is that independence taken away. I want to see an EPA that is truly independent, an
EPA that, if it requires more teeth through legislation, then we provide that as legislators - that is our
job. If it needs more resources, obviously, we have a working harbour, industry is growing in the
harbour, through the Territory. There is going to be a lot more work put on the EPA. What I would like
to see is it grow, along with industry growth in the Territory but, also, maintain its core responsibility;
that is being independent. That is what I would like to see but, maybe, it is a good question for Jacinta
on behalf of the EPA as well.
Mr CHANDLER: This is your wish list time.
Ms STANFORD: Okay, here we go! The current Board of the EPA are probably the people to make
the decisions about the vision of the EPA in the future. They have been fairly forthright about the fact
that they see themselves as the environmental watchdog. Given the strategic plan we currently have,
that is the direction we will maintain.
Mr CHANDLER: Thank you. Thank you for your information, and thank you for candour. Thank you,
minister. That is all I have for that output group.
__________________________
Answers to Questions on Notice Nos 8.1, 8.5, 8.6, 8.9, 8.10, 8.13 and 8.14
Mr HAMPTON: Madam Deputy Chair, I have some of the answers to the questions. For 8.1, 8.6,
8.14, 8.10, 8.9, 8.5 and 8.13.
__________________________
Madam DEPUTY CHAIR: Thanks, minister. Member for Nelson, do you questions on the EPA?
Mr WOOD: No I think we will not fit everything in. Keep going, Madam Deputy Chair.
Madam DEPUTY CHAIR: Thanks, member for Nelson. No questions, member for Fong Lim.
Mr TOLLNER: No, no. Well, I would love to, but I have a few other things.
Can I just ask a query about the next output groups, Madam Deputy Chair? Is it up to us as to who
asks questions on a particular area, because there is a range of things there: the ICT, Territory
Wildlife Park, which cover different main portfolio areas? Would we be able to get the permission of
the Chair to ask questions as they come up?
Madam DEPUTY CHAIR: I will just confer with the minister on that in just a moment. Minister, have
you a statement to open this area?
Mr HAMPTON: On climate change?
Madam DEPUTY CHAIR: No. If I can just formally open the next session and, then, member for Fong
Lim, we will talk through ...
ESTIMATES COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS – 17 JUNE 2010
Mr TOLLNER: So we are still on environment are we?
Madam DEPUTY CHAIR: No. We have finished that session. Thank you to all those people who
have been involved in that.
OUTPUT GROUP 1.0 – CLIMATE CHANGE
Output 1.0 – Policy Advice and Coordination
Madam DEPUTY CHAIR: We are looking at the Output Group, which is Climate Change, Output 1.1,
Policy Advice and Coordination.
Sorry, minister, for that delay, but I believe, in following the outputs here, we are now at Climate
Change, 1.1, Policy Advice and Coordination.
Mr HAMPTON: Thank you, Madam Deputy Chair, and I have an opening statement. I would like to
introduce Mr Leigh Eldridge from the Energy and Policy and Climate Change Unit with the
Department of the Chief Minister, who is here to assist the committee as required. The Northern
Territory Climate Change Policy released on 18 December last year includes an initial commitment of
$34m for this truly comprehensive action plan. With 40 targets and 118 actions, the policy takes
decisive action in the areas of government leadership, green energy, land management, building
green cities and towns, waste, green business and industry, green communities, and living with
change.
The Climate Change Policy impacts on all government agencies, and the implementation of the 118
actions involve a number of agencies. My Climate Change portfolio is responsible for the whole-of-
government coordination of the Climate Change Policy. I can therefore respond to any areas for
which I have responsibility for coordination. A number of actions are the specific responsibility of other
ministerial portfolios, however I may be able to offer some explanation to questions. If a detailed
answer is required, then I will refer the committee to the appropriate portfolio concerned.
If I could emphasise, the Northern Territory Climate Change Policy is a commitment to real action on
real projects that have a positive cost benefit assessment and, quite simply, make good business
sense.
Madam Deputy Chair, this concludes my opening statement, and I welcome questions from the
committee.
Mr CHANDLER: Minister, the Country Liberals released its very practical Climate Change Pollution
Reduction Policy last year, and you and your government criticised it strongly because it was not
linked to a carbon pollution reduction scheme, and further, went on to say that, ‘… a climate change
policy must be linked to a national CPRS/ETS or it will fail’. Minister, where does this now leave your
own Climate Change Policy, given the Prime Minister has now walked away from, what was it, the
greatest moral challenge of our generation - walked away, backflipped on his own CPRS and ETS.
How does your policy expect to work, given it was linked, it had to be linked to succeed, how will your
policy now work without the national CPRS/ETS? Do we have to wait, as Territorians, until a CPRS is
introduced for your policy, or does it sit on the backburner now?
Mr HAMPTON: Member for Brennan, in terms of our Climate Change Policy, you know, it is a policy
that is there, it is fully costed, unlike yours, and can I say, this government supports the ETS, we still
support the ETS, member for Brennan. The ETS is recognised as the least cost most effective climate
change measure, and your side, the federal Liberal Party, certainly, along with the CLP’s Nigel
Scullion in the Senate, blocked the ETS. You are obviously proud of the fact that your side blocked
the ETS …
A member interjecting.
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