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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 5 Hansard (25 August) . . Page.. 1315 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

I will declare my interest in this matter. I am a member of the ACT Veterans Athletic Club. We go for a run in the forests on occasions. It just means that the cost of events will go up and fewer people will participate. That is a pity, because I think we all have an interest in keeping Australians active. Those involved in active campaigns around the country would view this fee as a retrograde step. I think it is very disappointing, I think it is penny-pinching, I think it is small-minded and I think it is miserable. There will not be much money raised in the scheme of things. It has all the possibilities of having a serious deleterious effect on sports that use our forests.

Yes, it does cost to run toilets in forests. Everybody accepts that, but it is also an important feature of the ACT's landscape that we encourage sportspeople to participate. Now that there is a cost in the forests, organised sports may well have a disincentive, and that would be a great pity.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

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