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Category: Solar Energy / Environment / Oil and Gas / Mental Health / Health

ACT Greens pledge to stop gas infrastructure rollout

Wednesday, 14 Sep 2016 04:05:34 | James Fettes

The ACT Greens are calling for Canberra to move away from gas energy. (AFP: Samuel Kubani)

New gas infrastructure would not be installed in Canberra's new suburbs under an ACT Greens election pledge.

The commitment is part of a package the Greens are calling the "most ambitious" energy plan in ACT's history — bringing forward carbon neutrality to 2030.

The party plans to meet its target by mandating a shift away from gas.

"Gas is expensive, dirty and unnecessary," Greens candidate Michael Mazengarb said.

Under the $15 million plan, minimum standards would be set for gas appliances and incentives would be offered for households to move towards solar or electricity.

Low-income households would be targeted for extra support.

"We will make it easier to get energy efficiency and renewable technologies," Mr Mazengarb said.

"We will also make sure people on low incomes and renters can still get the benefits of new energy technologies."

Gas hot water services would be banned in new houses and replacement hot water systems could not be gas.

Any existing incentives for gas appliances would be removed.

ACT Greens aim to half suicide rates by 2025

The Greens have also released a preventative health plan, which includes a target to halve the rate of suicide by 2025.

Greens candidate Indra Esguerra said it was an important goal and a "bold target" for the future.

"We want to see very strong action and the Greens are very aware that when you actually set a target, it focuses government agencies and the community sector," she said.

The preventative health plan aims at to keep Canberrans healthy and to ease the pressure off the hospitals.

Under the plan the Greens have pledged to create a mental health office, to be implemented in consultation with representative bodies such as the Capital Health Network.

Ms Esguerra said the office would provide independent reports to community and Government on what is and is not working in the mental health sector.

She said it was a critical problem which would benefit from centralisation.

"We know that there are many gaps in the mental health system in the ACT, unfortunately," she said.

"And when we have one in three people in Canberra having a mental health issue at some stage in their life we need to make sure we don't have people falling through the cracks."

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