[Greens-Media] Commissioner for Environment stymied by lack of funds

[Manderson, Roland]

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ACT GREENS MLA DEB FOSKEY MEDIA RELEASE
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Monday 2 July 2007

Commissioner for Environment stymied by lack of funds

ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey raised questions about the future of the
Office of the Commissioner for the Environment following the Assembly
Estimates Committee public hearing today.

"The new ACT Commissioner for Environment, Darro Stinson, said he was
hesitant about promoting the Office of the Commissioner, as the Office
wouldn't be able to cope with the additional workload of extra
complaints" Dr Foskey said today. 

"Perhaps this is the real reason that there has only ever been one
official investigation by the Commissioner."

"When Annual Reports process in 2005, Chief Minister Stanhope said that
he would think about raising public awareness of the Commissioner's
role. Two years later the budget remains static and consequently few
people know of the complaints process."

"The Office was without a Commissioner from the end of 2006 when Dr
Rosemary Purdie left until Mr Stinson's appointment in May.  Now he is
faced with producing the comprehensive four yearly State of the
Environment Report in December, on two days a week with onl;y two
full-time staff." 

"Mr Stinson's appointment is only till August, and it will need to be
extended for him to finish the report."

"What we need is a higher profile and a strengthened advocacy role for
the Commissioner for the Environment - especially if the role is
extended to include Sustainability as has been mooted."

"The Commissioner for the Environment office has always been markedly
under-funded. Perhaps the Government would increase the Office's funding
if it sought its advice about more of its projects or legislation."

"The Government should immediately confirm the Commissioner's
appointment till the end of the year so that he can complete the State
of the Environment Report and assure the community that the Government
is serious about reporting on its environmental management" Dr Foskey
said.



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Roland Manderson   Media Advisor
ACT   Greens    MLA  Deb  Foskey  
Legislative Assembly for the ACT 
ph(02)62050551      m 0412241379
==== www.act.greens.org.au ===== 
  
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