Page 2666 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 15 August 2017
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As I said in my speech in the estimates report, I am concerned about the impact on housing affordability and the push for a compact city. We have had very strong views from the government for a long time, which the Greens support, that we should be aiming towards a compact city. These changes are potentially going in the opposite direction and clearly may well impact on housing affordability. (Second speaking period taken.)
The Greens would like to see, as was talked about in the estimates report, a full revenue neutral review of the lease variation charge system. There are currently three ways of doing it. For some residential leases it is $30,000 per dwelling; for some residential leases, it is between $30,000 and $180,000; for all other residential leases, it is before and after valuations. I think all of this is pointing out that what the government needs to do is actually take a triple bottom line approach to the budget and apply this to the revenue side as well as to the expenditure side.
The parliamentary agreement talks about a triple bottom line framework. But on the basis of this budget I am concerned that it does not appear to have been extensively implemented. The Greens very clearly think that revenue items can be used not just to get revenue. They have a social, and possibly an environmental, impact. We need to look at them all. That is one of the reasons that we pushed for the vacancy tax. Of course, I am very pleased that that is being implemented in this budget.
In terms of other issues, I would like to say that I share Mrs Dunne’s concerns about the Kingston arts precinct and this development. It may be going well, but certainly there is a dearth of knowledge as to how it is going. I think we need a lot more consultation with the arts community as to what is going to happen there.
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (11.57): I wish to speak briefly on a topic. I hesitate to say that it is one of my favourite topics, because I would prefer not to speak about it. But it is a topic I have raised many times in the past. During estimates I asked for an update on the odours that occasionally occur in some Tuggeranong suburbs ostensibly, to the best of our knowledge, from the Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre. It has been an ongoing issue for a number of years. It has been raised by many of my constituents.
In response to the questions that I asked during estimates, I was advised that there had been approximately 100 complaints over the past 18 months. The directorate did assure me—I agree it is the case absolutely—that they are working very hard with ACT NoWaste and with REMONDIS, the operator of the resource centre and other interested and relevant parties.
I understand from the responses I have received that the environmental authorisation has been updated, including, for example, by addressing the depth of soil over the top of the tip face and updating some of the operations on a day-to-day basis in terms of closing off the tip face at the end of each day. I was told that the operator is also doing work to control leachate that comes out of the old waste areas and that new cells are being designed and constructed at the moment for future waste and the treatment of leachate.
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