Zali Steggall reveals plan to turn Warringah into a ‘mini-California’
New independent MP Zali Steggall who was voted into office on a mandate to take action on climate change says she has an ambitious new plan for her electorate — but admits she needs to do more to reduce her own carbon footprint.
Manly
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Climate change warrior MP Zali Steggall wants Warringah to be a ‘mini-California’ — leading the way on curbing climate change — as she marks her first 100 days in office.
She said her team of highly skilled volunteers were currently in the process of calculating the total carbon footprint of Warringah looking at data from the census, local councils, the parliamentary library and the Clean Energy Council, as well as analysing the mix of business and industry.
By the end of the year she hopes to unveil a website called Warringah’s Road Map to Zero to help families, businesses, schools and other organisations make the electorate the greenest in Australia.
“I want Warringah to be a mini-California and lead the way,” Ms Steggall said.
However, the announcement comes as she confessed she had not yet swapped her large gas guzzling four-wheel drive for an electric car — something she was heavily criticised for during the election campaign.
While she said she has road tested a number of electric cars, it will no doubt irk some that as a self-proclaimed “climate leader” and someone who has continuously called for action, that she is not leading by example.
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She did reveal this week she has now got solar panels at her Balgowlah home.
Other ways she has looked to reduce her own carbon footprint has been to try and limit her flights to Canberra.
Ironically, in the last week she has had to fly to Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne as part of her role on the Federal Government’s environment and energy committee looking into the possibility of expanding Australia’s nuclear energy resources.
“I know I can do better, like everyone else knows they can do better. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t advocate for us all to do better,” Ms Steggall said.
“The critics will always find something else.
“It’s a bit like some of the arguments against Greta Thunberg, because you know she’s going to the conference in a yacht, so we can’t all do that.
“She’s not asking everyone to do that, she’s saying be focused on this problem.”
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Ms Steggall warned climate change deniers that the issue was not was not going to disappear.
“When I’m speaking to kids their number one concerns are always climate change, the oceans, plastics,” she said.
“We have got a whole generation of kids that are growing up with that as a primary focus.
“Anyone that thinks this is going away as a movement is absolutely delusional.”
She also criticised Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s no-show at the UN climate summit in New York as disappointing and “poor leadership”.
“He was not invited to speak because he did not have a plan,” she said.
Ms Steggall said she felt compelled to come up with a plan of her own because her constituents were coming to her upset and worried about climate change asking what they could do.
“I think it’s only fair if I’m calling for the government to come up with a plan for us as a nation, we should be able to come up with a plan for us,” Ms Steggall said.
“If it works I can show the government how to do it and say, ‘let’s do it, let’s roll it out’.”
The Road Map to Zero — which she hoped would go live by the end of the year — was about creating a movement where everyone can contribute to the solutions through small steps such as buying a reusable coffee cup to big projects like installing solar panels.
The website will also highlight local green business such as sustainable butchers, and even which financial institutions and superannuation funds invest in renewable energy.
People will be able to set themselves challenges to incentivise and keep them on track.
Meanwhile, she said other work she has been focused on in her first 100 days was pushing for a progression of the Beaches Link tunnel.
She said she was still awaiting the environmental impact study which was due out in July, but has been promised by the end of the year.
She has also met with federal Health Minister Greg Hunt over concerns about air pollution from the proposed tunnel at the entrance points Balgowlah, Seaforth and Cammeray.
She has been working with other MPs both state and federal on how improve transport and traffic issues on the northern beaches and north shore.
Ms Steggall said one issue being looked into is more parking stations for the B-Line which has been a victim of its own success in that regard.
She said she was also working on the B2 line from Dee Why to Chatswood, with the possibility of a bus lane or transit lane on that route, as well as greener transport issues such as low emission buses that would include hydrogen and hybrid options. She’s also looking at electric public transport. This is all in addition to electric vehicles.
And she has collaborated with Mackellar MP Jason Falinski on pushing for truth in political advertising.
Ms Steggall said she has also investigated and closed 1237 cases involving Warringah residents, involving people needing help with the NDIS, Centrelink, immigration and visas.