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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 4 Hansard (8 May) . . Page.. 1189 ..

Motion (by Mr Kaine) proposed:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

MR BERRY (5.13): Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to draw to the attention of the Assembly a matter which was of interest today. My attention was drawn to a number of hypodermic syringes which were dumped near the construction on the theatre site nearby this morning. I went out and inspected the site, found the syringes and, in due course, decided to report it to the sharps hotline. After instructing my staff to act accordingly, I am informed that there was a call to the sharps hotline. For 25 minutes there were constant reminders that my staff member was being moved up the queue. She became so frustrated with being moved up the queue that she decided she had other more important things to do.

I am taking the opportunity to bring this directly to the attention of the responsible Minister this evening. Regrettably, that is a course that the community out there would not have available to them. They would have to wait for however long it took to be moved up the queue far enough to get to the point where they could talk to somebody about the problem of sharps out there in the community. I trust that the responsible Minister will take this on notice and deal with the issue. I repeat that they were at the rear of the North Building in some shrubbery adjacent to the building site. I ask that the Minister inform the people who look after the sharps hotline to pop out there and have a little bit of a look, pick them up and prevent any risk to the community as a result of those dangerous items being dumped.

MR WOOD (5.15): Mr Speaker, I want to raise a matter that has been brought to my attention by a number of concerned residents in Canberra at various times. For them, and I think for the community and perhaps for the Minister for Sport and others, it is a matter that needs some attention. I refer to people who drive golf balls on public ovals. I think Mr Stefaniak and Mr Kaine have responded on this matter on a number of occasions. I have to say that when I was Minister it came to my attention and I was endeavouring to handle it, but I acknowledge that I found no immediate satisfactory solution.

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