Page 1891 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 16 June 1993
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Briefly stated, Madam Speaker, the Government's position is that we oppose this legislation. We think that if there is a problem with skateboards and rollerblades in Civic it is better to deal with it, not by legislation banning the activity, but by trying to provide some sort of alternative facility to attract Canberra's young people away from the main pedestrian thoroughfare in Civic but still close enough to the activities in the city that attract young people to the city in the first place. We do not think it is positive to pass punitive laws to outlaw what is in many ways a healthy athletic activity for Canberra's young people - laws which would create enforcement problems and which would mean that for a lot of young people their first contact with police would be in a confrontational manner. We do not think that would be a positive move at all.
MRS CARNELL (Leader of the Opposition) (11.22): Madam Speaker, I think that Mr Connolly has really missed the point of this legislation. We fully support the idea of a skateboard facility, because it was Mr Humphries's idea. Mr Humphries brought forward that proposition last year, and obviously we on this side support that approach. But I think Mr Connolly is missing the point of this whole legislation.
What the legislation attempts to do is to provide an appropriate environment for shoppers and people who own shops and service facilities in shopping centres generally. Certainly, Civic has been the focus of attention with this legislation, but it is not the only area where there are very real problems with skateboarding and rollerblading. Every single retailer in, I would say, every shopping centre in Canberra has had problems in this area. I think we have seen quite a number of petitions in this place and certainly letters - - -
Mr Berry: Which problems? What are they? What problems?
MRS CARNELL: I will get to them, Mr Berry. Just be calm. Have patience. Shopping centres exist for people to go shopping, for people to set up their businesses to sell goods and services to the community. The shoppers and, for that matter, retailers need to have a safe environment in which they can go about their business. Obviously, Mr Berry has never experienced being in a small shopping centre or in a large shopping centre when all of a sudden a rollerblader has whistled by. Even in my little shopping centre, on a number of occasions, I have had little old ladies - - -
Mr Berry: You own the thing too? You own the shopping centre?
MRS CARNELL: The shopping centre in which I have my business.
Mr Humphries: I raise a point of order, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. Mr Berry's interjections are becoming a bit childish. I ask him to let Mrs Carnell complete her speech in relative silence.
MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Westende): Mr Berry, you will take notice.
Mr Berry: We just want to know what these very real problems are.
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