Page 2198 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 2 August 2022
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changing times, a changing environment, a changing climate, we need to learn and we need to be able to test things out and see what is working and what is not working.
All round, it is great to hear so many different connections. I know that TCCS staff work really, really hard. It is good, I think, to recognise their work, to thank them for that work, and to give them better tools and better support to do that work. It is great to hear, when I am out in the field, about the work that PCS does. Sometimes they are doing work quite close in Canberra’s urban environment. The patches are quite close; they overlap. We have got a lot of really, really dedicated and committed people in Canberra, both volunteers and paid staff, and of course our volunteers are doing such great work on the ground. We have over 70 Landcare sites here in Canberra. We can have more. Apply. Jump in and contact your local group or set one up if you would like to.
It is great to think about what we get from motions like this and from moments like this. We are part of nature and we understand that we are part of nature. I think a lot of the environmental destruction we are seeing is when we forget that. Also, we get so much from being part of nature. We all know what we lose when we are disconnected from nature. We know that that leads to health problems, mental health problems and environmental destruction. But I think we have sometimes forgotten what we gain from the connection to nature and the amazing experiences we have out in the world and out in the environment and the amazing benefits we get from talking to people and working alongside people. I am really looking forward to seeing a bit more of an eco lens on all of our practices. I commend the motion to the Assembly.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Radiation Protection Amendment Bill 2022
Debate resumed from 24 March 2022, on motion by Ms Stephen-Smith:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
MS CASTLEY
(Yerrabi) (4.52): I rise today to support the amendment bill moved by the health minister. The bill amends previous legislation to ensure that radiation sources in the ACT are regulated and licensed. We are all aware that radiation incidents can have catastrophic impacts on our community. Through a briefing with the directorate, I was told that there are 1,600 people in the ACT who hold a licence to deal with radiation and there are more than 750 radiation sources throughout Australia, ranging from X-ray machines to more complicated medical equipment.
Individuals that hold a licence and operate these machines include our incredible frontline health workers, as well as other private health related businesses. In 2018, the legislation was reviewed and recommendations were made to the minister to modernise radiation legislation and ensure that the ACT had a nationally consistent framework for radiation protection. Under these amendments, the Chief Health Officer will be the decision-maker in relation to approving applications and licences for dealing with radiation sources. The Radiation Advisory Committee, which previously held this power, will be retained as an expert advisory body, with members appointed for their expertise.
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