Page 1817 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 22 June 2021
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… we made it clear that the west Belconnen drop-off centre will have to close. The licence expires on 30 June and will not be renewed …
Thanks to Wayne at CSG, this petition has forced the minister to temporarily extend the licence. I remind my electorate that, together, we can stop the government leaving Belconnen without a green waste facility.
Most people would think that having a new site for CSG to run its green waste operation would be an important pre-requisite before forcing it to shut down. But that is not how this government works. This is shockingly bad planning. It also demonstrates a lack of respect for CSG and for the thousands of Belconnen households that rely on its service.
The government have suggested two alternatives for residents—Mitchell and Mugga Lane. If they had consulted CSG, they would know that the Mitchell facility is currently running at 90 per cent capacity and cannot handle the increase from closing Parkwood. Mugga Lane is a 70-kilometre return trip, at least, from west Belconnen and can take nearly an hour each way. One gardening business has calculated that going to Mugga Lane will increase their costs by $400 each week. Clearly, neither option is feasible.
Thankfully, this petition has temporarily stopped this government’s decision to close Parkwood without a suitable replacement. That is a solid win, but the struggle is far from over. When I rang Canberra Sand and Gravel to congratulate them on the news that their lease would be temporarily extended, they had no idea what I was talking about. Clearly, Minister Steel still does not believe in talking directly with important stakeholders. Beyond that, the government has repeatedly stated that it is reviewing options in north Canberra.
I rise today to state that the thousands of Belconnen residents who have supported this petition are not going to be satisfied with a green waste facility that is not accessible to them. I call on the ACT government to make sure that they have respect for stakeholders, and actually talk to them. They should allow CSG to keep its current facility open until an alternative site is found and made ready. Lastly, the new site should serve the needs of the Belconnen community.
Sport—Bonner oval—petition 7-21
MR BRADDOCK (Yerrabi) (10.25): I would like to speak in support of Ms Orr’s petition for water facilities at the Bonner oval. Water is a glaring omission at this oval. There are covered picnic tables, a playground, an irrigated oval, newly installed lights, barbecues, toilets and park benches, yet not a single tap, not a single bubbler.
The oval is in frequent use for sporting events, particularly cricket, as was mentioned earlier, and kids are also hard at work playing, but there is no way to quench your thirst. You can cook at a barbecue but you cannot rinse things under a tap. I fully endorse this call for water at the Bonner oval.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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