Page 4158 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 22 October 2019
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are persistent in the environment, taking between 18 months and 10 years to break down, and are often mistaken as food by animals. Used filters contain thousands of chemicals that can kill plants, insects, rodents, fungi and other life forms, and some of which are known carcinogens.
ACT Emergency Services Agency data estimates that around 13 per cent of grassfires in the ACT are started by cigarettes. With climate change making our city hotter and drier, our government is taking responsible action on the environment. Our bill seeks to reduce the littering of cigarettes and send a very clear message to the community that these are very dangerous items, and make sure that they are treated in the bill in a way that suggests they are a problem in the environment, attracting a fine of up to $500 through an aggravated offence provision.
The bill will also target dumping in the form of abandoned vehicles. Under the new framework, abandoned vehicles will be considered litter and can be removed quickly and efficiently, including those left on school grounds or in open private car parks. Rangers will also now have the power to enter abandoned vehicles and identify the last registered owner where numberplates have been removed and identification otherwise is not possible.
Under the new framework, rangers will have more options to issue fines for dumping abandoned vehicles or not complying with removal directions. These new powers for managing abandoned vehicles will ensure that we can meet the expectations of the community to keep our open spaces clear, functional and, most of all, safe for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
The bill will reduce the time frames for which vehicles must be held before disposal. This will significantly reduce the cost and government resources required to manage abandoned vehicles once they have been removed from the dump site. In the case of burnt-out vehicles, these can now be disposed of directly with no storage costs. This will significantly reduce the economic impact of illegal dumping and streamline the process for better and faster outcomes.
The bill will also make the offence of dumping litter easier to police by adding provisions to direct penalty notices to the registered owner of a vehicle involved in illegal dumping activities, which will support our rangers in conducting compliance operations and enforcing our legislation, be it through CCTV or, indeed, in relation to evidence that is provided from the public through fix my street—photographs of cars involved in illegal dumping, for example.
The bill has several important provisions that are designed to protect our natural environment. Specifically, we have increased penalties for driving a vehicle with an uncovered or unsecured load and amended the definition of an uncovered load to include the word “escape”, to be consistent with other offences in the bill. Recent data suggests that one in 100 vehicles travelling on Mugga Lane to the resource management centre have loads that are not appropriately secured. This is unacceptable and will be addressed by this bill to improve the amenity of the ACT and the safety of road users.
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