Page 4300 - Week 13 - Thursday, 4 December 2014
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I would also like to acknowledge the work of Dr Cullen, Dr Lloyd and the senior research officer, Mr Hall. I do not necessarily agree with Mr Smyth that that workload is the workload that should be a shining example to people wanting to enter the public service. I think it is a completely unacceptable workload. But in these circumstances I think Dr Cullen did an amazing job, and I absolutely thank her and acknowledge all the hard work that she did.
I acknowledge my colleagues on the committee. It was incredibly moving for us. Again I am very hopeful that through this process there has been some amount of healing, even if it is a small bit, and that families do get some answers to some of their questions. I will leave it at that and look forward to hearing the government’s response to our recommendations.
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (9.25): I too would like to thank my fellow committee members, Ms Porter and Ms Berry, for their absolute commitment to this inquiry, and Mr Smyth as chair, who has put in an enormous amount of work. Dr Andrea Cullen has done an outstanding job under tight time frames. I think the committee, the Legislative Assembly and, by extension, the people of the ACT are fortunate to have her working for them. To many others in the Legislative Assembly, including Dr Brian Lloyd, I say thank you for your assistance. But mostly to those Mr Fluffy home owners and residents who have poured out their hearts to the committee, thank you for your courage and your willingness to share your story and make suggestions for the way forward.
The committee heard from a range of people and families—people with mortgages to pay and jobs to hold down, with babies, with children and homework to be done, with grandparents to visit and laugh with, with grandchildren to have sleepovers and play with, with gardens to maintain and lawns to mow, with pets to love and hobbies to spend time on, with barbecues and birthday parties to hold, with particular requirements that they may have made modifications to their homes to accommodate, with memories of special family events held in their home, and with hopes and dreams for the future.
Home may be where the heart is, but it is difficult to move, let alone move on, when your heart is not in it. And the committee report that we have prepared is definitely not, as some people have suggested, a rubberstamp of this bill. We as committee members have taken our responsibilities seriously and with determination. This is a human tragedy of great proportions. As we know, Canberrans respond well to these tragedies, as evidenced by the 2003 bushfires. This is another opportunity for us to demonstrate our compassion on behalf of all Canberrans. It is absolutely time to eradicate Mr Fluffy loose-fill asbestos from our community.
But fairness, flexibility and choice are key elements that need to be included in the scheme, and many of the recommendations reflect that. I commend the report to the Assembly.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (9.28), in reply: In closing the debate, Ms Lawder raised the notion that the committee would somehow rubberstamp. A number of the people
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