Record Spending on the Environment
05 July, 2008
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Lord Mayor Campbell Newman will secure and protect another 500 hectares of bushland this term as Brisbane moves closer to its goal of 40 per cent bushland coverage by 2026.
Council will spend $19 million on bushland acquisition each year – up from $13 million – due to a $12 increase in the Bushland Acquisition Levy on the household rates bill.
“We want to secure at least 500 hectares for future generations,” the Lord Mayor said.
“We have already saved 550 hectares of at-risk bushland from development over the past four years and this program builds on that good work.”
The bushland acquisition plan is part of the Lord Mayor’s record $150 million CitySmart program, which seeks to make Brisbane the nation’s most sustainable capital city.
CitySmart aims to show families ways to reduce their household carbon emissions through simple and inexpensive ways of saving energy, such as replacing incandescent light bulbs with new fluoro bulbs, and switching off appliances when they are not in use.
A key CitySmart initiative is the GreenHeart CitySmart vans which take the sustainability message to schools, shopping centres and community events to attempt to change long-term behaviours.
Another initiative is the O2 project, which aims to plant two million trees over the next four years.
The Lord Mayor will spend $5 million a year this term for O2 tree planting to contribute towards his vision of a regional carbon sink South East Queensland.
“The O2 project will not only help green Brisbane and the surrounds but the two million trees will absorb CO2 that contributes to climate change,” Cr Newman said.
Last year the Lord Mayor undertook one of the largest – if not the largest – carbon offset purchase schemes in Australia by offsetting 95,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from Council’s fleet.
“We are continuing that scheme with $1 million allocated each year for this Council term,” Cr Newman said.
“We are also upping the ante on bushland acquisition and protection because I believe the public supports having a greener Brisbane for generations to come.”
The Lord Mayor said council’s electricity use remained its largest source of greenhouse gas emissions which meant that greener energy sources had to be found.
“To reduce our carbon footprint we have to find an alternative to coal-fired power station electricity,” he said.
“In this Budget, council will source 28 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources – but within two years council will only purchase green power.”
The Lord Mayor committed $12.5 million to green power over four years.
Cr Newman said today’s Budget contained funding in the forward estimates for weekly recycling from 2010, based on waste demand levels and community support.
The Lord Mayor has also allocated $75,000 to have e-waste collections four times a year, along with a continuation of kerbside collections and green waste mulching collections at a cost of $3.7 million.
The Lord Mayor is also delivering on his election commitment to establish Native Animal Ambulances and Wildlife Carers Grants.
“One of the inconsistencies in Council is that when a native animal is killed, there are people to remove it, but when one is found injured, there are few people there to help it,” he said.
“I am very proud of Brisbane’s unique biodiversity and it’s vital that we protect that biodiversity at every opportunity.
“These animal ambulances will do just that, providing front-line protection our precious native wildlife.”
Cr Newman said $150,000 was allocated to get the program started in the upcoming financial year, with $580,000 annually in subsequent years.