Page 4275 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 20 November 1990
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Territory, there were 37 written submissions. To say that the evidence was weighed up in favour of front fences, when only 37 written submissions supported front fences, seems to me to be an outrage.
Some of the other areas of concern relate to the cost of policing. I wonder whether we will end up with a fence police. One hundred thousand dollars to $1.5m would be spent on the policing of fences. Certainly, if there is a policy it ought to be policed - there is no doubt about that - but I wonder about spending $1.5m when schools and hospitals are closing, by this Government,s actions.
Mr Connolly: It is offensive.
MR BERRY: It is offensive. Thank you, Mr Connolly.
Mr Wood: What about all the bureaucrats to process the applications? What is that going to cost?
MR BERRY: Indeed. The report, Mr Speaker, outlines the history of the front fence policy in the ACT. This city is famous because of the absence of front fences. All of our tourism promotion highlights this city as the garden city, and it is because, as I said a moment ago, of the absence of front fences.
Mrs Nolan: There are some lovely front fences around inner Canberra, with lots of garden.
MR BERRY: As the report notes, the garden city character has made Canberra a unique and distinctive city. I will come back to what you said, Mrs Nolan, because there is some talk from the ACT Heritage Committee on that issue. We, as Canberrans, are justifiably proud of our unique and distinctive city, and most of us want to protect it - except for 37 who want front fences, it seems.
Some in Canberra would prefer to have front fences - 37 of them, it seems - but, as the report indicates, a change in policy would not necessarily overcome the problems that they identify, such as security, burglars and dogs. Big dogs may get over a 1.2-metre fence. My dog could not, but other people,s dogs could. They could do on your front lawn what people seem to be concerned about. I do not think front fences are the answer to it; the answer is dog control.
There is no evidence that a change in front fence policy would affect these issues to any marked degree. The Labor Party is happy to look at measures to bring the perceived dog problem under control, but we are still waiting for this Government to bring in the legislation. Mr Duby, I think, has promised legislation, but it goes along with a lot of other promised legislation which we have yet to see. I think the community is well aware that this mob opposite
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