Page 224 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
the level of free water - if that is the word - that can be allocated to their property indicates that there is large community concern about this issue throughout the town. It also should be pointed out that the Parks and Conservation Bureau does pay the ACT Electricity and Water Authority for the water that it uses. As a result, of course, it is not just this free water, as such, that people might imagine is government water just going down the drain.
On the issue of the direction of water that may be being sprinkled on particular parkways or roadways at any one time, I think it is fair to say, given the enormous number of sprinkling systems that are in place throughout the city, that occasionally there may be lapses within the system. For whatever reason, a sprinkler may be misdirected from going onto the area required to be watered and onto the road. Generally speaking, the bureau does very well in terms of ensuring that the water that is used is not wasted.
Many, many water sprinkling systems throughout the city are automated. As a matter of fact, one of the regular complaints that I get at my office is, "Please explain why the sprinklers were on while it was raining.". People do not realise, of course, that one of the money saving efforts that the Government has undertaken is the continued automation of sprinkling systems throughout the city. However, in relation to those two particular areas that Mr Stevenson has identified, I must admit that I am not aware of any problems which have occurred there, or any series of complaints which have been made about that issue. I shall investigate and get back to Mr Stevenson, but it would appear to me that an off the top of the head answer is that there has been some malfunction in the automatic sprinkling system. Invariably these things are picked up and fixed by the regular maintenance people who work within the bureau. I shall investigate and get back to Mr Stevenson.
Mr Kaine: Mr Speaker, I request that any further questions be placed on the notice paper.
Commercial Tenancies
MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, yesterday the Leader of the Opposition asked me a question in connection with commercial tenancy arrangements and the self-regulation relating thereto, and I undertook to give her a comprehensive reply today.
In June last year, in my statement on the Government's response to the report of the Select Committee on Tenancy of Commercial Premises, I said that the Government recognised the need to regulate tenancies in the retail area for the benefit of both tenants and landlords. That is the Government's view. Obviously, the need for regulation assumed that tenants and landlords encountered
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .