Page 5296 - Week 14 - Thursday, 19 November 2009
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I do acknowledge that political parties change their policies from time to time in order to react to changing circumstances. It is a realistic expectation and one that may be easy to score political points from. However, our concern is the immediacy with which they have changed their position. If their constituents and Liberal Party members had a change of heart and the Liberal Party democratically chose to change their position to embrace fireworks, in spite of the dangers and nuisances they create as Mr Pratt clearly stated and recognised, that is their prerogative. However, I suspect that this change of heart was not driven by the honest and open process we just outlined. I believe that this is yet another example of the kind of involuntary response that the Liberal members have in this place. Where rank popularism leads, the Liberal Party is bound to follow, and the principles laid out by Mr Pratt in 2004 fall by the wayside.
With the fireworks issue, we also need to consider the impact the sale of fireworks here has on other states, as we were the only state or territory that sold consumer fireworks and a significant number of these fireworks ended up being used in other states. There are many issues, including the sale and use of consumer fireworks, which cannot be considered in an ACT-only context.
I note in the information that was provided to the ACT Greens MLAs, and also, as Mrs Dunne noted, to the Liberal Party, that there are a number of letters from other members of parliament urging the ACT to review the sale of fireworks in the ACT. One particular comment from the Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, echoes the other concerns raised:
The ability for fireworks previously purchased in the ACT by private individuals to be transported into other states makes it exceptionally difficult to continue bans in those states.
In conclusion, I will refer to two comments from constituents in the last few days which were sent to Mrs Dunne and copied to other MLAs:
We wish to express our disappointment at your plans to reintroduce Fireworks Sales in the ACT. The last few years have seen the disruption and destruction of property in our area. Particularly upsetting are the extremely loud fireworks that frighten animals and some people, including ourselves. We are not against controlled Fireworks displays, only the misuse of them by some members of the public over a period extending before and after the official weekend.
And a further comment:
Fireworks not only disturb animals, they disturb humans’ right to a quiet night’s sleep. Every year we are kept awake for at least two weeks around the Queen’s Birthday Weekend while huge fireworks are let off in our neighbourhood during all hours of the night. The police have more important things to do than try to catch offenders, who are always long gone by the time the police arrive. Also, there is the considerable damage done to property, both personal and public. Please—don’t overturn the legislation.
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister for Women) (11.42): I would like to thank Mrs Dunne for referring us to the Facebook
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