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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 9 Hansard (31 August) . . Page.. 2658 ..


MS TUCKER (continuing):

This amendment proposes a new section to address an issue that was not adequately addressed in the Bill - public notification of changes to the register of contaminated sites. The New South Wales legislation includes mandatory Gazette and newspaper notification of when assessment and remediation orders are given, but this has not been included in this Bill. In the committee inquiry the Government stated that this notification was too onerous as this information could be obtained from the EMA directly. However, I think it is too much to ask that residents regularly check with the EMA to see what changes have been made to the register. Changes to the register will be easily missed.

It is very common in other legislation, and even in other parts of the Environment Protection Act, for public notification of various actions under legislation to be provided - for example, the completion of an environment protection policy, code of practice or environmental authorisation. It is quite consistent that notification of changes to the register be publicly notified, and in fact it should be an obligation on the EMA to keep the community informed about changes to the status of contaminated sites.

MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services) (5.48): The Government is against all Ms Tucker's amendments, so she might like to move them all together.

MR SPEAKER: We have to get clause 9 out of the way first.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Remainder of Bill, by leave, taken as a whole

MS TUCKER (5.49): I ask for leave to move amendments 5, 6 and 7 circulated in may name together.

Leave granted.

MS TUCKER: I move:

Clause 16 -

Page 10, line 30, proposed new paragraph 91C(3)(c), omit the paragraph.

Page 12, line 23, proposed new paragraph 91D(3)(c), omit the paragraph.

Page 13, line 22, after proposed new section 91D, insert the following sections:

" '91EA. Notification of certain persons about orders for assessment or remediation

'(1) The Authority shall, by written notice, notify the occupier and, if the occupier is not the lessee, the lessee, of land adjacent to land to which subsection 91C(1) or 91D(1) relates -


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