Page 1488 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 2 May 1990
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this unnecessary legislation. I seek leave to present the explanatory memorandum to the Bill.
Leave granted.
Debate (on motion by Mr Stefaniak) adjourned.
AINSLIE TRANSFER STATION
MR MOORE (10.47): I move:
That this Assembly demands that -
(a) the Minister for Finance and Urban Services reopens the Ainslie Transfer Station; and
(b) any future moves to close the transfer station be preceded by:
(i) full public consultation;
(ii) consideration of all environmental concerns; and
(iii) a publicly available cost-benefit analysis.
This is the motion that I attempted to move yesterday, following the discussion of the matter of public importance. I now have this opportunity to put it in private members' business. The most significant aspect of the Ainslie Transfer Station is that Mr Duby, as Minister, has been snowed by his department. Mr Duby has said himself on a number of occasions, both publicly and in this chamber, that it was necessary for him to make a quick decision because the contract had come to an end. What absolute and total nonsense! If that is not a "Yes, Minister" situation, nothing is. As if people did not know that the contract was coming to an end! The standard "Yes, Minister" procedure is to hold off until a quick decision is required, have no public consultation and then, bang, come up with the decision.
It is just possible that Mr Duby was not snowed; perhaps instead he held off himself and decided that he would make the decision using this as his excuse. Either way, it shows his total incompetence as a Minister. That is what the Ainslie Transfer Station debate is about - the total incompetence of the way in which this decision was made. It is time that the decision was reversed. As if Mr Duby's being snowed were not bad enough, we have also had a committee spend a tremendous amount of this Assembly's time on a domestic waste management proposal. With the exception of the proposal to introduce big bins, which I oppose, by and large I have lauded the series of integrated suggestions that were made in that committee's report and the rather extensive nature of it.
There is no indication in that report that there was any suggestion whatsoever at any stage that the closure of the Ainslie Transfer Station was being considered or that the
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