No More Carbon-Neutral Government
March 18th, 2009
Climate Change Minister Nick Smith has axed five flagship Labour Govt programmes, which he says are “expensive sloganeering” and will help fill a $26m funding gap left by the last Govt for the Ministry for the Environment. Most notable among the deletions are the Carbon Neutral Public Service and Govt3 programmes, both of which consumed substantial resources in the last two years of the previous Govt as they sought public sector leadership to entrench measurable, sustainable business practices.
Also confirmed was the abolition of the Bio-Ethics Council, which Smith said was duplicating work already done by other bodies, including ERMA and the Ministry of Health’s Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology. A three year Recycling in Public Places programme will now end after two years, and MfE’s Household Sustainability programme will be integrated with the Sustainable Business development programme. Smith reaffirmed the Govt’s primary focus for environmental policy as climate change, freshwater management, bio-diversity, waste management and air quality, along with reform of the RMA and introduction of an Emissions Trading Scheme.
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