Parliamentary record : Part I debates (27 February 1990)
Debates for 5th Assembly 1987 - 1990; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 5th Assembly 1987 - 1990
1990-02-27
Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
English
Debates
Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Darwin
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Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
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https://hdl.handle.net/10070/220388
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/699398
DEBATES - Tuesday 27 February 1990 We are letting a chance pass by, as are the states, if we dQ not do something about the methane emission from ruminants. I have spoken on this subject before and it is not ... Mr Coulter: What about seaweed? What are you going to do about that? Mrs PADGHAM-PURICH: interested in ... We have not got to seaweed, yet. A 11 I am Mr Coulter: problem. Feed it to the cows and you would only have half the Mrs PADGHAM-PURICH: I am talking about the emission of methane gas from ruminants. If the minister is genuine in his concern about the Greenhouse Effect and reducing it in years to come, he should seriously address this matter. The honourable mi n i ster went on to say that we can expect increased temperatures, ,although this will vary from region to region. I know that the Northern Territory government has asked for the help of the CSIRO in the Northern Terri tory to form a committee to exami ne the Greenhouse Effect on conditions in the Northern Territory. I would like to ask the honourable minister if it is too early for a report of some sort to have been produced by that committee. Certainly,it seems to me, speaking very personally, that, so far, this wet season is one of the driest we have had. I have read scientific predictions that the eastern states and the south-west of Western Austral ia would become increasingly dry. The very heavy rainfall in those areas dur1ngthe last couple of months has given the lie to that. There is more to the matter than the airy-fairy talk in which the minister has engaged in his statement and which no doubt will arise in other pronouncements on this all-embracing subject of the Greenhouse Effect. The government and the minister have actually to suggest ways in which individuals can help the situation. The honourable minister said in his statement that increased temperatures will lead to increased evaporation of surface water. That makes sense and nobody would argue with it. It leads me to ask, however, whether the Minister for Conservation or any officers of the Conservation Commission or other interested individuals have done any work on encouraging people to install tanks to collect rainwater. I live in a house of 18 squares. During a normal wet season, we receive what I am still old-fashioned enough to refer to as 60 inches of rainfall. The roof of a house of 18 squares collects about 50 000 gallons of rainwater per wet season, and that is a hell of a lot. I believe that the minister could address this issue in the context of preserving our water resources in the Northern Territory. The honourable minister also mentioned the work of the CSIRO which leads the field both here and in the states. I would like to see a progress report on the CSIROls work in the Northern Territory. I am very pleased that the subject of acid rain is not of importance in Australia, as it is in Europe. It would be very difficult to live with. From what I have read, I, believe that the incidence of acid rain in particular parts of Europe does not come from industries in the immediate area but from industries many hundreds of miles away. In other words, nations do not have control of the situation within their own borders. My at tent i on was drawn to another pa ragraph in the mi n i ster IS statement: IThere is plenty of scope for improving the insulation of 8776