Page 3647 - Week 12 - Thursday, 13 October 1994
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MR LAMONT: I thank the member for her question. Yes, I do recall both the Chief Minister's budget paper and my evidence before the Estimates Committee. Madam Speaker, as members and the community would be aware, we are currently distributing to each household in Canberra two wheelie bins. The first of those is a smaller bin for non-recyclables. The collection date anticipated for that is now the first week in December. The reason for that was the availability of the bins for distribution, as I understand it, and the timeframe required to distribute those bins. The second type of bin that has been distributed is the recyclables bin, and I anticipate that we will commence some collections of recyclables bins in November. Madam Speaker, my department has prepared an information brochure to go to each and every household in Canberra, outlining the rules of usage of the new system, explaining the way in which we can maximise the benefit of this new system and outlining the collection days timetable and other processes. It also covers such things as replacement policy and so forth.
There has been one matter raised on which I think it would be appropriate, Ms Szuty, if I outlined the Government's position. Some properties may have a granny flat attached to the house and there is one title over that land. There was an expectation that there would be two sets of bins provided to that residence. That is not the case. We are using appropriate information to provide bins in numbers according to the title of the property. That is, I think, probably the single largest issue that has been raised with my office during this distribution phase. We are working to a very tight schedule. We are controlled to some extent by the availability of the bin manufacturing process and the distribution process. We are still on track for full introduction, full implementation, in that first week in December.
MS SZUTY: I have a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. If some of the recycling collection is going to start in November, when will every household have their recyclables collected?
MR LAMONT: All of the services, Madam Speaker, will start in that first week in December. Even if we start some of the recycling processes first, the total collection system will commence and be operational from that first week in December. We have decided, in some specific areas, to undertake the recycling a little bit earlier to allow for testing of the vehicles, to make sure that the technical specifications that have been put into these new vehicles are appropriate, to make sure that, when the full collection system starts, all of the equipment is fully operational and can meet the performance requirements of the service.
Woden Valley Hospital - Chronic Pain Management Unit
MR STEFANIAK: My question is directed to the Minister for Health. Does the Minister believe that it is acceptable that a patient who has had three major back operations in recent years and who is on high doses of pain-killers and muscle relaxants, and whose doctor referred her to the chronic pain management unit at Woden Valley Hospital in July, should, three months later, still not have had an appointment to see the unit's pain management doctor?
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