Page 1812 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 22 June 2021
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I will continue to hold the government to account to ensure that there is a long-term green waste recycling solution in Belconnen. I would like to highlight the government’s failure to provide a timely solution. This decision was made at the eleventh hour and the closure no doubt would have gone ahead if the community had not been so vocal. I suspect that the government knew that this was not what the community wanted, if they were prepared to close the green waste recycling facility, anyway. The real test now is what long-term solution the Labor-Greens government will implement.
In the absence of such certainty, the reality of a long round trip for many, from Belconnen to Mugga Lane, is still looming, particularly for landscaping businesses. Some of my constituents are worried about their businesses not being able to cope without the local option available to them. Others are simply concerned by the fact that driving to an alternative green waste facility will take more time and increase emissions. And clearly household green bins are not enough on their own.
All these unknowns are causing unnecessary stress for the community. Last week, the Leader of the Opposition, Elizabeth Lee, told the government that they were out of touch and that their priorities were not in line with those of Canberrans. The circumstances that led to this petition are a case in point. Yet again, the Labor-Greens government have comprehensively proven that they are out of touch. But even when the community speaks, they are reluctant to provide a timely and comprehensive solution.
In summary, I ask the government to finally listen to the needs of not only my electorate but the broader community regarding their planning preferences for this growing city. I call on the Labor-Greens government to take note of the community’s view, as made clear in this petition, that a permanent green waste facility located in Belconnen is a necessity.
Roads—safety—petitions 17-21 and 20-21
MR PARTON (Brindabella) (10.09): I rise to speak on the Theodore traffic improvement petition. When I heard about this petition, I had no hesitation in saying yes to sponsoring it for presentation to the Assembly. I have to say a big thanks to David Mitchell for putting it together; I applaud his work in getting this matter before us in the form of this petition.
When I heard about this petition, I had no hesitation in sponsoring it because my experience with the intersection, and the experience of every resident of Theodore and just about everyone who has ever driven on Tharwa Drive alongside Calwell and Theodore, has led me and others to believe that unless some improvements are made to the western intersection of Tharwa Drive and Lawrence Wackett Crescent, somebody is going to die there. It is inevitable.
I have knocked on every door in Theodore, many of them on multiple occasions. I can tell you that particularly people who live close to that intersection dread the sound of screeching tyres. They can all recall hearing that horrible sound of metal on metal and
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