← All decisions

1. What was proposedShane RattenburyGreens · Crossbench
   Read the original wording (480 words)

   That this Assembly: (1) notes: (a) the ACT has a long and nation-leading record on climate action, including being the first jurisdiction in Australia to achieve 100 percent renewable electricity and legislating some of the strongest emissions reduction targets in the country; and (b) a new climate change strategy for the ACT is being developed this year and strategic direction is essential to guide the Territory in the next phase of emissions reduction and climate adaptation; (2) acknowledges the: (a) importance of strong and sustained climate action to Canberrans, who consistently identify climate change as a key priority for the wellbeing of the people who live in this city, now and into the future; and (b) growing impacts of climate change on the Territory, including increased severe weather and associated social, economic and environmental pressures; (3) further acknowledges climate change is a collective problem and the responsibility for solutions should not rest solely with individuals and households. The next phase of transition must include clear responsibility for governments and industry and this should be reflected in the new ACT climate change strategy; (4) calls on the Government to consider the following areas of policy and action in the development of the next Climate Change Strategy: (a) ground transport emissions reduction, including clear actions to drive the phase-out of internal combustion engine vehicles, the large-scale rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and action to support the shift for Canberrans to move to lower-emissions modes of transport; (b) further initiatives to progress the phase-out of fossil fuel gas, providing assurance and certainty to households and businesses; (c) investment in climate adaptation and disaster readiness, ensuring Canberra’s infrastructure, emergency response, ecosystems and communities are resilient to worsening climate impacts; (d) the monitoring, reporting and reduction of Scope 3 emissions and industrial processes and product use emissions for Canberrans; (e) a requirement for government to consider future generations in decision- making on climate, to accurately represent the duty of care we owe to future generations; (f) restrictions on fossil fuel sponsorship or advertising in the ACT, to align public communications and community spaces with the Territory’s climate goals; and (g) ways of improving governance between the portfolios of climate, planning, environment, transport and treasury are able to work constructively together, including the potential development of a cross-government coordination mechanism; (5) further calls on the Government, in a downpayment of goodwill to the people of Canberra on their stated commitment to climate action, to consider specifically as part of the 2026-2027 Budget: (a) additional funding and technical support for low-income households to transition off the fossil fuel gas network through electrification; and (b) invest in further funding and long-term assurance to Canberra’s climate and environment community partners; and (6) report back to the Assembly on how these calls were incorporated into the final climate change strategy by the first sitting day in October 2026. Debate ensued.

2. Proposed changeFiona CarrickIndependent · Crossbench17 March 2026

   Grouped by key words as: added a new call or point.

   The exact wording of this change

   After all text in paragraph (4)(g), insert: “(h) investigate how to encourage mode shift to public transport and active travel, including undertaking a stated preference survey across Canberra;”. Debate continued.

   Agreed on the voices. No individual votes were recorded. Its wording is in the final text.

3. Proposed changeThomas EmersonIndependent · Crossbench17 March 2026

   Added notes and proposed bringing the net zero target forward to 2040. Our summary, review in progress

   The exact wording of this change

   together: 1. After paragraph (1)(b), insert: “(c) responses to the 2023 Living Well With a Changing Climate Survey showed Canberrans support strong climate action, and identified ‘a sense of helplessness, with many people not confident they could adapt to the effects they expected climate change to have in their lifetime’; (d) the ACT Greenhouse Gas Inventory: 2024-25 showed that in 2019-20, there had been a 46.8 percent reduction in emissions from baseline levels, and come 2024-25, there had been a 46.9 percent reduction – a 0.1 percentage point difference; (e) while recent changes to the methodology for calculating net emissions may have impacted the ACT’s measured progress toward net zero, much more needs to be done to rapidly reduce emissions in the ACT; and (f) the December 2024 Independent review of ACT Government action on climate change recommended bringing forward the ACT’s net zero emissions target from 2045 to 2040;”. 2. After paragraph (5), insert: “(6) further calls on the ACT Government to: (a) reaffirm its commitment to achieving net zero emissions as an urgent priority; and· (b) bring forward the ACT’s net zero target to 2040; and”. Debate continued. Ms Orr (Minister for Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water), by leave, was granted an extension of time. Debate continued.

   Not agreed in a recorded vote, 6 to 17.

   Ayes 6

   • Andrew Braddock, Jo Clay, Laura Nuttall, Shane Rattenbury
   • Fiona Carrick, Thomas Emerson

   Noes 17

   • Andrew Barr, Suzanne Orr, Yvette Berry, Marisa Paterson, Michael Pettersson, Tara Cheyne, Chris Steel, Rachel Stephen-Smith, Taimus Werner-Gibbings
   • James Milligan, Chiaka Barry, Mark Parton, Peter Cain, Leanne Castley, Ed Cocks, Jeremy Hanson, Elizabeth Lee
4. What the Assembly decidedAgreed

   Decided on the voices: no individual votes were recorded, so this doesn’t show that every MLA agreed.

   Final agreed wording, with changes marked

   That this Assembly: (1) notes: (a) the ACT has a long and nation-leading record on climate action, including being the first jurisdiction in Australia to achieve 100 percent renewable electricity and legislating some of the strongest emissions reduction targets in the country; and (b) a new climate change strategy for the ACT is being developed this year and strategic direction is essential to guide the Territory in the next phase of emissions reduction and climate adaptation; (2) acknowledges the: (a) importance of strong and sustained climate action to Canberrans, who consistently identify climate change as a key priority for the wellbeing of the people who live in this city, now and into the future; and (b) growing impacts of climate change on the Territory, including increased severe weather and associated social, economic and environmental pressures; (3) further acknowledges climate change is a collective problem and the responsibility for solutions should not rest solely with individuals and households. The next phase of transition must include clear responsibility for governments and industry and this should be reflected in the new ACT climate change strategy; (4) calls on the Government to consider the following areas of policy and action in the development of the next Climate Change Strategy: (a) ground transport emissions reduction, including clear actions to drive the phase-out of internal combustion engine vehicles, the large-scale rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and action to support the shift for Canberrans to move to lower-emissions modes of transport; (b) further initiatives to progress the phase-out of fossil fuel gas, providing assurance and certainty to households and businesses; (c) investment in climate adaptation and disaster readiness, ensuring Canberra’s infrastructure, emergency response, ecosystems and communities are resilient to worsening climate impacts; (d) the monitoring, reporting and reduction of Scope 3 emissions and industrial processes and product use emissions for Canberrans; (e) a requirement for government to consider future generations in decision- making on climate, to accurately represent the duty of care we owe to future generations; (f) restrictions on fossil fuel sponsorship or advertising in the ACT, to align public communications and community spaces with the Territory’s climate goals; (g) ways of improving governance between the portfolios of climate, planning, environment, transport and treasury are able to work constructively together, including the potential development of a cross-government coordination mechanism; and (h) investigate how to encourage mode shift to public transport and active travel, including undertaking a stated preference survey across CanberraCarrick; (5) further calls on the Government, in a downpayment of goodwill to the people of Canberra on their stated commitment to climate action, to consider specifically as part of the 2026-2027 Budget: (a) additional funding and technical support for low-income households to transition off the fossil fuel gas network through electrification; and (b) invest in further funding and long-term assurance to Canberra’s climate and environment community partners; and (6) report back to the Assembly on how these calls were incorporated into the final climate change strategy by the first sitting day in October 2026.

   Original and final wording compared

   taken out put in

   That this Assembly: (1) notes: (a) the ACT has a long and nation-leading record on climate action, including being the first jurisdiction in Australia to achieve 100 percent renewable electricity and legislating some of the strongest emissions reduction targets in the country; and (b) a new climate change strategy for the ACT is being developed this year and strategic direction is essential to guide the Territory in the next phase of emissions reduction and climate adaptation; (2) acknowledges the: (a) importance of strong and sustained climate action to Canberrans, who consistently identify climate change as a key priority for the wellbeing of the people who live in this city, now and into the future; and (b) growing impacts of climate change on the Territory, including increased severe weather and associated social, economic and environmental pressures; (3) further acknowledges climate change is a collective problem and the responsibility for solutions should not rest solely with individuals and households. The next phase of transition must include clear responsibility for governments and industry and this should be reflected in the new ACT climate change strategy; (4) calls on the Government to consider the following areas of policy and action in the development of the next Climate Change Strategy: (a) ground transport emissions reduction, including clear actions to drive the phase-out of internal combustion engine vehicles, the large-scale rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and action to support the shift for Canberrans to move to lower-emissions modes of transport; (b) further initiatives to progress the phase-out of fossil fuel gas, providing assurance and certainty to households and businesses; (c) investment in climate adaptation and disaster readiness, ensuring Canberra’s infrastructure, emergency response, ecosystems and communities are resilient to worsening climate impacts; (d) the monitoring, reporting and reduction of Scope 3 emissions and industrial processes and product use emissions for Canberrans; (e) a requirement for government to consider future generations in decision- making on climate, to accurately represent the duty of care we owe to future generations; (f) restrictions on fossil fuel sponsorship or advertising in the ACT, to align public communications and community spaces with the Territory’s climate goals; [taken out: and](g) ways of improving governance between the portfolios of climate, planning, environment, transport and treasury are able to work constructively together, including the potential development of a cross-government coordination mechanism; [put in: and (h) investigate how to encourage mode shift to public transport and active travel, including undertaking a stated preference survey across Canberra;](5) further calls on the Government, in a downpayment of goodwill to the people of Canberra on their stated commitment to climate action, to consider specifically as part of the 2026-2027 Budget: (a) additional funding and technical support for low-income households to transition off the fossil fuel gas network through electrification; and (b) invest in further funding and long-term assurance to Canberra’s climate and environment community partners; and (6) report back to the Assembly on how these calls were incorporated into the final climate change strategy by the first sitting day in October 2026. [taken out: Debate ensued.]

   Compared word by word by computer, ignoring punctuation. It shows what differs, not which change made each difference; the steps above show that.