Page 905 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 25 July 1989
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To date in the ACT the environmental protection section has made residents aware of the environmental dangers of pesticides banned in other States for some time now. Substantial amounts of those chemicals have been handed in on a voluntary basis and we well remember those various campaigns. The officers involved in this work will now have the backing of law. That is necessary. I am sure that most people will want to comply with the provisions. They will be concerned to protect their environment and to protect themselves and their families, because we can all be affected.
It is the nature of life that measures of policing are inevitably necessary, and this Bill has those measures. Members will note from the legislation that for pesticides banned in New South Wales or Victoria there will be a period of 21 days in which it will be advertised before the relevant sections of this Act become operational. This period will give an opportunity for the remainder of the chemicals in Canberra to be handed in within that time frame.
I am informed that chemicals surrendered voluntarily during this period will not require compensation, but returns made under directions subsequently will attract compensation. The legislation proposes that the assessment of the amount of that compensation will be quite strict but just. I expect, however, that since these chemicals will have been banned or restricted elsewhere they will not now have a high commercial value.
The legislation aims to see that chemicals are handed in and not used, tipped down the drain, or dumped. We must be sure that these dangerous chemicals are taken out of the system for the long-term protection of the environment. It would be quite disastrous if some of these very toxic chemicals were not properly disposed of. Again, I expect that people will want to do that in a voluntary way.
Most of the chemicals expected to be collected will be organochlorines or arsenic compounds. We know that, at present, there are no appropriate facilities in Australia for disposing of these. We note the comments that have been made about the provision of a high-temperature incinerator to dispose of such chemicals. I guess there would be considerable difficulty in finding a site for such an incinerator. I understand that, in the meantime, the registrar of pesticides will arrange for safe storage of the chemicals whilst awaiting the provision of that incinerator.
In order to ensure that pesticides are properly assessed, it is a condition that they be registered in New South Wales or Victoria before they can be included in the ACT register. That is a very sensible idea; it means that amongst other things, we are not involved in any expensive mechanism for evaluating those chemicals. I know that the Government will continue to be represented on the
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