Page 1715 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 7 June 2016
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Supreme Court’s recommendation in the case of Singh v Registrar of Firearms 2015 to clarify the consequences of a protection order being made against the holder of a firearms licence. I commend this bill to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Mr Hanson) adjourned to the next sitting.
Waste Management and Resource Recovery Bill 2016
Ms Fitzharris, by leave, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement.
Title read by Clerk.
MS FITZHARRIS (Molonglo—Minister for Higher Education, Training and Research, Minister for Transport and Municipal Services and Assistant Minister for Health) (10.17): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
I am pleased today to present the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Bill 2016. This bill will repeal and replace the Waste Minimisation Act 2001 and is designed to serve Canberrans well into the future. Waste management practices and technology have changed significantly in the 15 years since the Waste Minimisation Act was passed. Many things have changed in the ACT since the act was introduced, and it is now inadequate to effectively regulate waste activity in the ACT.
To appreciate the need for reform in waste regulation, we need to understand the policy objectives on which our community’s expectations are based. The performance objectives for waste management in the ACT are outlined in the ACT waste management strategy 2011-25.
This strategy is the guiding document for developing solutions to waste issues in the ACT. It sets ambitious targets to be achieved through 29 strategies seeking four key outcomes: reduced waste generation; full resource recovery, that is, recovery of everything that can be recovered; a clean environment; and a carbon neutral waste sector.
So far the ACT has been a strong performer in waste management. However, the ACT Auditor-General’s 2012 performance audit report on Management of recycling estates and e-waste found there was room for improvement. The targets set in the waste management strategy are challenging. It is a responsibility and a commitment of this government to review and innovate as each opportunity arises, to ensure that waste generation falls and continues to fall. We want to see more resources recovered and reused and protect our environment from the impact of our waste activity.
The changes introduced in 2001, through the Waste Minimisation Act, marked the ACT’s first significant move in the direction of strategic waste management. The ACT’s capacity to meet its waste policy objectives has, however, been influenced by a number of factors since, such as pressure on the capacity of our landfill facilities, an increase in population and the physical expansion of Canberra, rapidly changing
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