Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 4894 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

to support these amendments which have the potential to affect the rights and responsibilities of private lessees on private land. If the ACT is to have tree preservation legislation it should meet clearly stated objectives, and its development should have the full involvement of the community. The Government, therefore, opposes in their entirety the amendments to the Nature Conservation Act as proposed by the Greens. Obviously they have a lot of problems.

Motion (by Mr Hird) negatived:

That the debate be adjourned.

MS HORODNY (6.33): Mr Speaker, I think almost from the day that Ms Tucker and I were elected to this Assembly we started to receive phone calls and letters from residents and members of the community who were concerned about the wanton destruction of trees in Canberra's residential areas.

Ms Tucker: In the bush capital.

MS HORODNY: That is right; this is a bush capital. It is very important that we maintain the bush that is part of our heritage here in the ACT. What we have here in the ACT is an ageing stand of eucalypts. What is missing in our landscape is a middle-age stand of eucalypts. We have a lot of young eucalypts growing in our newer areas in particular. As more people have become aware of the importance of eucalypts, of natives over exotics, in providing habitat for species in the Canberra environment that do need and do thrive in our native bush, more people have been planting eucalypts in residential areas; but what we do not have is a middle-age stand of eucalypts in our landscape. Our Bill attempts to preserve and protect the very old eucalypts that we have in our residential areas for a longer period.

Mr Moore: I take a point of order, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. I think on this point that Ms Horodny is barking up the wrong tree and is branching into areas that "leaf" us alone.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Hird): There is no point of order. Did you think that up on your own, Mr Moore? Work a little more "deciduously".

MS HORODNY: The end-of-Assembly adjournment debate is tomorrow, Mr Moore. You are a day ahead of yourself. As I was saying, the aim of our legislation is to try to protect the old eucalypts in our landscape. They are important as habitat. It is important that we preserve and maintain them at least until - - -

Mr Moore: Do you think I should plant another one on it?

MS HORODNY: Mr Moore, stop interjecting. It is important that we protect those trees until such time as the new trees in our landscape reach an age when they too can provide habitat for our species. I think it is important that we do not continue the practice of removing eucalypts from our landscape in the willy-nilly fashion that I believe we have been doing. I think that is particularly important because our eucalypts are

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .