Page 1888 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 16 June 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
TRAFFIC (AMENDMENT) BILL (NO. 2) 1992
Debate resumed from 9 December 1992, on motion by Mr Humphries:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (11.10): The Government will be opposing this legislation, which seeks to ban skateboards in city areas. Sometimes we get the impression that the Liberal Party, if they see Canberra's young people doing anything and enjoying themselves, want to oppose it or to ban it. We think this Bill is a very counterproductive legislative intervention into the activities of Canberra's young people. We think it is unnecessary because we think we can achieve a better result by taking another course of action. This debate goes back quite some time. I think this was originally a Bill Stefaniak issue in the First Assembly. Mr Humphries got on the skateboard last year and was photographed on a skateboard. I seem to recall Mr Stefaniak at one point talking about the need for police dogs to control young people, and I suggested that perhaps we needed police dogs on skateboards in order to control the apparent outbreak of young people on skateboards. This issue has been around for some time.
We think the best solution is to go down the path of trying to develop some facility close to Civic where young kids can engage in skateboarding and rollerblading. In the range of activities available for Canberra's young people, I think we have to say that skateboarding and rollerblading are in some ways quite commendable forms of activity. If the alternative is hanging around a video parlour, I would certainly prefer my children, when they are of a sufficient age, to be engaged in the healthy pursuits of skateboarding and rollerblading. When you see some of these kids performing their stunts, you appreciate that they are very athletic. It is a very skilled athletic pastime. Some of the kids are going into competitions. There is a developing competitive scene for skateboarding and for rollerblading.
This issue of complaints about rollerblading and skateboarding is significant because it relates only to Civic. At our other shopping centres and main areas where people congregate - Woden, Belconnen - we are not finding comparable problems. That is probably because for quite some time we have had a range of facilities near those centres to enable people to participate in this activity. We have successful and well patronised skateboard facilities located in Canberra at Telopea Park, Stirling, Rivett, Football Park, Kambah district park, Richardson, Fadden Pines, Campbell, Kippax, Charnwood and, of course, the Belconnen skate park.
The Belconnen skate park is a very grand facility, up there with the standard of the best skateboard facilities in Australia. It is complete with lighting, ablution facilities and all the rest of it. It is a very expensive facility, but it works very well to serve the interests of Belconnen's young people. It is conveniently located close to the shopping centre and the bus interchange and also close to some fast food outlets. It seems to be very well patronised and you do not see young people on skateboards and rollerblades around the shopping areas.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .