Community Alliance Party

Canberra’s community will drive many key climate change and sustainability initiatives for the ACT under a policy launched today by Community Alliance Party candidates, Roger Nicoll and James Sizer.

"Under the policy Climate for Change – community-led action for a sustainable future, the Community Alliance will enable grassroots community groups and ACT citizens to make the inroads into climate change that successive governments have failed to make," Mr Nicoll said.

Mr Nicoll says that we need a broadly agreed vision and plan for a sustainable Canberra which encourages personal action and resists unsustainable practices that we have seen under recent governments; for example, land clearing, population growth, energy use, planning, development, housing, water use, waste management and transport.

"As part of this vision and plan, the Community Alliance will empower residents to make the running with a host of energy production and conservation measures, sustainable housing and waste recycling and re-use," Mr Nicoll said.

Key initiatives include:

• supporting the development and expansion of SeeChange groups and programs like Food for Life throughout the ACT to encourage sustainable living and reduced ecological footprint at a local and practical level
• facilitating the establishment of solar cooperatives whereby 100 or so people in a community buy into a solar array that is built onto local school roofs or other buildings, feeds into the grid and returns benefit to members and the local community. This would amount to backing the project of the Canberra Environment, Sustainability and Resource Centre
• reviving local community hubs as schools, community and essential service centres and places of employment with sustainable transport benefits
• introducing requirements for optimal solar orientation and energy efficiency ratings and sustainable housing design, combined with effective standards and auditing for energy efficiency
• providing incentives for retro-fitting of adequate insulation and double glazing for established houses, particularly for low-income earners.

"We see a lot of people in the community working hard to make a difference, and the Community Alliance is part of that effort," Mr Nicoll said.

Contact: Roger Nicoll ; James Sizer