Page 3793 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 16 October 1991
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CRIMES (AMENDMENT) BILL (NO. 6) 1991
MR COLLAERY: Mr Speaker, pursuant to standing order 128, I fix the next day of sitting for the presentation of this Bill.
LITTER (AMENDMENT) BILL 1991
MR JENSEN (11.36): Mr Speaker, I present the Litter (Amendment) Bill 1991. I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
Mr Speaker, recent incidents reported in the media have strengthened the long held resolve of the Residents Rally to have those responsible for putting public safety at risk pay an appropriate penalty for such irresponsible actions. It is not just the media events of the last couple of months that have encouraged this; it has been a personal concern of mine over a number of years. The Rally has decided to introduce this small but very important amendment today because of the number of complaints raised with the Rally about the amount of glass found on bike paths, in our public parks and playgrounds, as well as around shopping centres - effectively, public places.
Anyone who has participated in one of the clean-up campaigns over recent years will be fully aware of the potential damage to life and limb by some of the material left lying around. I recall, for example, attending a clean-up run by a service club at the Pine Island swimming area, and I can assure members that the amount of glass lying around was considerable. Much of it was broken and in a dangerous state. Pine Island, as we all know, is an area which by its very nature attracts children and adults, who often use the area without substantial foot protection, particularly during the summer.
Much of the broken glass comes from beer bottles, especially stubbies. Areas like this are often locations where some of our young people, often stressed by the lack of opportunities and long-term prospects for employment, resort to substance abuse. Alcohol, as we all know, is a drug, and it can cause difficulties and problems, particularly for young people.
The Bill that I have presented today, very simply, amends the existing section on penalties for littering - section 3 - by replacing it with a new section 3, which provides for a penalty of $2,000 if the litter is likely to cause injury to persons or damage to property. The current standard fine for littering is retained at $250. However, I understand that the Government, in keeping with the proposals for the upgrading of litter legislation by the
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