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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 9 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 2708 ..

MR STEFANIAK: Ms Horodny asked a question in relation to a few ACT Housing properties in the inner north. ACT Housing is putting together a strategy on public housing that needs major upgrades. These properties - I think there are about 15 or 16 that she is referring to - are in that category. We upgrade the property; but we also want to know, during the upgrade, whether the tenant is happy to move out temporarily while the property is upgraded and then come back to the home they were in. Also, during that upgrade, we ask them whether they would like another type of accommodation, or to move to another area. Basically, if the tenant is happy with the property and wants to come back after it is upgraded, that occurs.

MR DE DOMENICO (Minister for Urban Services): Mr Speaker, at the conclusion of question time yesterday Ms Horodny suggested that I had misquoted her in relation to the practice of recycling plastic tops off two-litre milk containers. I am sure you will remember. She suggested, in fact, that she had not said that these tops were not recyclable; rather, that they were not recycled in the ACT but "the tops were cut off the milk bottles". The inference was, Mr Speaker, that the Government should have been ensuring that the whole milk bottle was recycled, including the black tops, as is the case elsewhere.

Mr Speaker, please allow me to set the record straight once and for all. I asked the department, quite obviously, to contact the ACT manager of BFI, the company responsible for carrying out recycling of household waste. He has stated that, so long as the instruction provided to households is followed, that is, that the bottle tops are screwed onto the bottles, the whole package, including the bottle tops, is recycled. It is only when the bottle tops are thrown into the rubbish bins loose that they are not recycled. Quite obviously, effort would be involved in sorting out and finding them. If they are screwed onto the milk bottle the whole of the package is recycled. It is not true that the tops are cut off. If the cap is on the bottle, the whole of the bottle with the cap is recycled. Mr Speaker, once again, I suggest that Ms Horodny do her homework. I am quite happy to provide Ms Horodny with a tour of the BFI plant. Perhaps we will take the television cameras there so that they can take a picture of the whole of the bottle, including the top, being recycled. Perhaps then you will believe what you see on television.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General): Mr Speaker, under standing order 46, I seek leave to make a personal explanation.

MR SPEAKER: Certainly.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, there was a question at question time to Mr Stefaniak and also some statements in the media by Mr Moore, previous to today, I think, which suggested that I have called for or supported a move to re-establish corporal punishment in ACT government schools. I think the members who have taken that view

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