Page 388 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 10 February 2021
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guided by which services are most appropriate to each region. That will be determined in consultation with the community. They may provide preventive services, such as healthy eating or oral health. They may focus on providing early intervention and/or integrative care for managing chronic conditions such as arthritis, heart disease or respiratory conditions, alongside and integrated with and supported by our primary care and non-government organisation partners.
I look forward to working with residents of the inner south, south Tuggeranong, west Belconnen and north Gungahlin as we develop each of the distinct models of care for their walk-in health centres.
Municipal services—abandoned vehicles
MS LAWDER: My question is to the Minister for Transport and City Services. In a media release about abandoned vehicles, from June 2019, you said that “the new provisions will allow for clearly abandoned vehicles to be removed more quickly and more efficiently”. Abandoned vehicles are of great interest and concern to residents when they are abandoned near them. Minister, can you explain why, instead of meeting your 100 per cent target of removing abandoned vehicles on unleased land within nine calendar days, your government achieved a mere 61 per cent, according to the annual report?
MR STEEL: I thank Ms Lawder for her question. Yes, she is right: the issue of abandoned vehicles in our community is of concern. It is one of the reasons why we brought forward the amendments to the Litter Act to see the removal of these vehicles as soon as possible. Of course, there are a range of circumstances that involve abandoned vehicles. Some of those involve the police. I am happy to come back, on notice, with some of the reasons why we have not been able to achieve the target, as Ms Lawder has outlined. One thing I do know is that if there is a police investigation, that vehicle may be used in evidence in relation to that investigation and that may result in a vehicle not being removed until police have been able to deal with the vehicle. If there is a specific circumstance that Ms Lawder is referring to, I am also happy to look into that as well.
MS LAWDER: Minister, is the result of 61 per cent for the removal of abandoned vehicles on unleased land within nine calendar days what you describe as “more quickly and more efficiently”?
MR STEEL: These laws enable us to go about removing those vehicles without necessarily having contacted the owner, ensuring that those vehicles are removed. Subsequently the owner could pick up the vehicle, potentially at a charge, once it is impounded. Those laws have only been in place for a short time. There will be a period of bedding down whilst both Transport Canberra and City Services and other relevant agencies work with that legislation to try and improve the rates of removal within the target period.
MR CAIN: Minister, when will the government reach its target of 100 per cent?
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