Page 2630 - Week 08 - Thursday, 14 August 2014
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story is that Dr Bourke has led the residents and the business owners of Cook up the garden path to nowhere. Unless he is getting better information than I am, his stories are little more than bunkum.
While I am on my feet, let me finish with a brief word on charity bins. I was pleased to note in Mr Rattenbury’s comments in his letter to me of 5 May that TAMS is currently finalising a code of practice for the management of charity bins in the ACT, and charity bins will no longer be permitted at Cook shops when the new code is in place. Hallelujah, I say, on behalf of my constituents in Cook, in Evatt, in Florey, in Page, in Kaleen, in Giralang. In any place we go and talk to our constituents, the first thing they say is, “Can we please get rid of the eyesores that are the charity bins?”
One thing that was a little perplexing about Mr Rattenbury’s letter was that it was already out of date by the time that I got it because the code of practice was released in April. Associated with the release of the code was an expression of interest process available from 25 April to 16 May for charities nominating locations for the replacement of their bins. It would be good to hear from Mr Rattenbury on the progress of the removal of charity bins from neighbourhood centres or group centres.
Nonetheless, the problems associated with charity bins continue. I am aware of one case where recently my staff observed a resident loading black plastic bags into their vehicle at their home, driving around the corner and dumping them at the charity bins at the local shop. My staff took it upon themselves to report this to Canberra Connect, and the rangers quickly responded by following it up with the resident. On this occasion my staff suggested the ranger did not necessarily charge the resident but give them a warning and outline to them the penalties for a future offence and the problems with such illegal dumping.
This practice is representative of a few lazy and selfish people in our community, and it is to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. This is particularly so because the removal of illegally dumped rubbish creates an unnecessary and considerable expense for the local charities who work hard and contribute so much to people at risk in our community. Unfortunately, the rationalisation of charity bins and the benefits they bring to many have become necessary because of the unacceptable behaviour of a few. Once again, it is the thoughtless and careless few who impact negatively on the benefits that can be brought for the many. I look forward to an update from Mr Rattenbury on the important matter of charity bins.
I will reflect on a few other matters, and in doing so I wish to compliment my colleague Mr Coe for his outstanding representation on issues relating to territory and municipal services. Whatever people may think about Mr Coe in this place—and they may not like him—I am sure they have a great deal of respect for the amount of work that he does, the thoroughness with which he does his work and the high level of detail he has to hand. He is formidable in the work he does in representing constituents in many matters.
Some of the matters he has touched on today in relation to ACTION buses I feel I need to echo. Considerable concerns are emerging from constituents about the new network 14 timetable, especially the school bus services. I want to put on record my
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