Page 2424 - Week 08 - Thursday, 5 August 2021

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From opposition, I do not have access to the staff that the minister has in his office. I do not have access to the directorate. I cannot throw around $1 million on a consultancy. I cannot get a study of the nature that we are talking about in this chamber.

It is very clear, based on the way that this has played out, that the minister would much rather that we do not have that information or, indeed, that the Canberra public do not have that information. I just think that, at its core, this is about transparency and democracy. I am most pleased that we found a sensible outcome, but I still cannot quite believe that this is the path that we had to go down to get it.

Amendment agreed to.

Original question, as amended, resolved in the affirmative.

Adjournment

Motion (by Ms Cheyne) proposed:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

Yerrabi electorate—community engagement

MS ORR (Yerrabi) (4.48): I rise to provide another Yerrabi yap to the Assembly. Since our last sitting the ACT has banned single-use plastics, on 1 July—great work by everyone here in the Assembly and out in the community. This is something that I am extremely passionate about and I am proud of the collective work by the chamber and the community to make it happen.

It was perfectly timed too, with the month of July being Plastic Free July. To celebrate our ban on single-use plastics in Plastic Free July, I posted daily on my Facebook page the many ways that Canberrans can minimise their individual reliance on unnecessary plastics. This included things like picking unwrapped fresh produce rather than the plastic wrapped alternative; promoting the soft plastic recycling programs; reminding Canberrans of the plastic recycling numbers on packets that are able to be recycled here in Canberra; and so many more. I encourage everyone to have a look at those suggestions and implement one of the suggestions into your lives.

It is important to remember that recycling is not always the answer and currently less than 10 per cent of plastic in Australia is recycled. We need to reduce our use and reliance on plastics instead. I encourage everyone to consider how they can reduce their plastic consumption.

Despite the chilly and wet days that plagued the month of July, I remained busy with my electoral work in Yerrabi. I met with a number of community groups, held a street stall, and helped get my steps up with some letterboxing around Yerrabi. I am looking forward to the coming months when some of these activities do not require the use of my thickest and warmest clothes. Even though the sun goes down early and the days and nights are chilly, the weather will never deter me from engaging with my


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