Page 3263 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
green waste trial which was put underway by the previous Liberal government. The Canberra Liberals stand for practical waste management solutions, in stark contrast to the inaction of the current government and the lack of direction or any offering of practical or realistic solutions.
Before I close, I would like to briefly touch on the situation surrounding Aussie Junk. The situation regarding Aussie Junk is highly regrettable. The ACT government failed the community on the contract with Aussie Junk from the very start. The government has failed to answer questions relating to the allegation that it knew about problems at Aussie Junk before the contract was entered into.
The minister needs to show some leadership to resolve the ongoing issue regarding resource recovery services in the absence of Aussie Junk. The government has been aware for some months now that Aussie Junk was having difficulties, and yet we still cannot get access to these services at the resource recovery centre. Both the current minister and the former minister, Mr Hargreaves, have failed to meet their responsibilities in this area. Minister Hargreaves, I think, should be challenged to clear his name and to clarify what he knew and when he knew it. I think Mr Stanhope should do the same.
In closing, I thank Ms Bresnan for raising this issue and giving the Assembly the opportunity to highlight the Stanhope government’s waste management failures.
MS LE COUTEUR (4.58): First, I would like to say that I strongly agree with the comments that Ms Bresnan has already made. As she said, we need to retain the zero waste philosophy and fully embrace it. We need better annual reduction targets; we need long-term targets for the next five, 10 or more years. And those who are actually doing it need support from adequate funding. We need a re-engagement in the zero waste fight.
Before I go on to say more, I would like to rebut a couple of the comments that Mr Corbell made at the beginning of his speech when he was basically saying that we were doing well with waste. Unfortunately, that is not true. I want to quote from a report prepared for ACT NOWaste a year ago, in July 2008:
… during the last ten years the amount of waste generated in the ACT increased at an average annual rate of around 6.8%—outstripping both the population growth rate and the growth in Gross State Product …
And it concluded in its summary:
… the high early gains in reducing disposal has continued through to 2005/06 when the trend was halted with an increase in waste disposal; and indications from 2007/08 are that this increase in disposal is continuing.
The minister said, “The problem is that Canberra is an affluent community; that is why we have more waste.” I really think that is a very defeatist solution.
Mr Stanhope: It’s an observation; it’s a truth.
MS LE COUTEUR: If that is the truth as the government sees it—
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .