Media Release Wednesday 5 February 2014

The ACT Labor government has made a mockery of its self-proclaimed environmental and green credentials by failing to maintain the health of the Giralang Pond, Shadow Minister for the Environment Nicole Lawder said today.

“It’s ironic that Shane Rattenbury and Simon Corbell are fighting each other in a race to become the most environmentally conscious minister the ACT has ever seen but they can’t stop a suburban pond from becoming a poisonous waterway,” Ms Lawder said.

“Fish are dying; the biodiversity of the pond is being eroded while people who live in the precinct are being forced to stay inside their homes to escape the pungent smell of a rotting environment where the water is turning black.

“It smacks of poor basic governance when these ministers speak about saving the environment through unachievable greenhouse pollution targets and building a light rail system, yet they can’t even keep a suburban pond healthy.

“Shane Rattenbury and Simon Corbell need to focus on fixing the local environment instead of brainstorming dangerous ideas which could jeopardise the ACT’s economy and way of life,” Ms Lawder concluded.

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Contact: Joe Prevedello 0402768432