Page 2134 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 6 June 1990
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We on this side are also very concerned about the effect on the environment and in particular on recycling. The ACT Government Service and recycling groups have put considerable effort into encouraging people to recycle glass and paper. Everybody here knows that it is very easy for householders simply to throw out their bottles, their paper and so on with the rest of their garbage. We are concerned that the closure of the transfer station will be a significant setback for the cause of recycling in this Territory. North Canberra residents became accustomed to the idea of taking their bottles and wastepaper to the transfer station and separating them for recycling. On the day after World Environment Day, I believe the Government now has the chance to rethink Mr Duby's hasty decision and to support the community.
No matter how much Mr Duby pretends, he cannot hide the fact that the Government has substantially failed to provide alternative recycling facilities. A couple of miserable sets of bottle banks will not cater for north Canberra. It is clear that any thoughts about recycling came to Mr Duby only after people made a fuss. The bottle bank system, I repeat, is not good enough on its own. We still also need paper recycling facilities and, if we are to be in any way serious about recycling, we need to explore the potential for the recycling of plastics, oils, garden waste and so on.
Mr Speaker, everybody knows how easy it is to miss the once a month wastepaper collection from the kerbside. Just as with domestic garbage, there does need to be a convenient location where people can take wastepaper when they have accumulated too much or have missed the collection. That is all a part of the community education process which the Chief Minister spoke about yesterday in his environment strategy, but this decision flies completely in the face of it.
Then we come to the Government's defence of this decision as necessary on budgetary grounds. I call that "the art of the big lie". It is a speciality of this Government.
Mr Jensen: I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, I would ask you to withdraw that, Ms Follett.
MS FOLLETT: Withdraw which?
MR SPEAKER: You referred to the speciality of the Government as a lie.
MS FOLLETT: I referred to it as "the art of the big lie".
MR SPEAKER: That is right. I believe it is a valid point of order.
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