Page 625 - Week 02 - Thursday, 24 March 2022
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Amendment agreed to.
Original question, as amended, resolved in the affirmative.
Adjournment
Motion (by Mr Steel) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Ginninderra electorate—repair cafe
MRS KIKKERT (Ginninderra) (4.04): I believe strongly in thrift and in being a wise manager of resources. If something still works, there is no need to replace it. If I can buy perfectly good second-hand clothing at an op shop, there is no reason for me to buy things that are brand new. If a button falls off, sew it back on. If something breaks, fix it if possible. And if you do not know how to fix it then this is a perfect opportunity to learn.
It does not make sense to throw something away if it still has usefulness in it. Yet this is something that happens far too often. It has been estimated that Australians produce 10 kilograms of household waste per person each week. Our nation is the second highest consumer of textiles in the world. On average, each Australian purchases 27 kilos of new clothing each year and then throws away 23 kilos.
Part of the problem is that people have forgotten that they can repair things themselves, or they lack the necessary skills. Research suggests that this is especially true amongst younger generations. Getting an object repaired by someone else can sometimes be complicated and/or too expensive, making it easier just to throw it away and buy something new.
To address these issues, Martine Postma launched the first Repair Cafe in Amsterdam in 2009, and it has since grown into a worldwide movement. Repair Cafes are free meeting places where people who have objects that they wish to repair can access the experts, materials and tools needed to get the job done. In the process, people learn how to make these repairs themselves, increasing their self-reliance, boosting their self-esteem, and eventually becoming experts that other people can learn from. Objects typically fixed at a Repair Cafe include clothing, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, crockery, toys and so forth.
Three weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the first gathering of the new Repair Cafe at Ginninderry, located on the western edge of my electorate of Ginninderra. It was very inspiring. In addition to a number of clothing items, repairs were made to a desk lamp and an electric kettle—changing potential waste back into valuable items, saving both resources and money.
I enjoyed spending time with Monica, whose husband was one of the expert repairers at the Repair Cafe that day. Retired from work, she is now pursuing a PhD,
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