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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 8 Hansard (28 October) . . Page.. 2400 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

However, the Government's amendments in regard to alterations will require a waste management plan for the refurbishment of commercial buildings. This is a common activity within the building industry that usually generates large amounts of waste material. Thus a person who intends to carry out building work will be required to submit a waste management plan with the application for approval if the building work involves the demolition or alteration of a building other than those exceptions that I have already mentioned.

The Building Controller, in consultation with ACT Waste, will assess the adequacy of waste management plans. Should the Building Controller assess a waste management plan for demolition or alteration of a building as inadequate, the application for the building work will not be approved. If the work does not follow the waste management plan after approval, the builder is liable to the powers of direction and penalties that apply to other failures to carry out the building plans as approved.

Mr Speaker, the wording of the Bill implies that waste material must be disposed of at an ACT recycling facility. The Government is concerned that this requirement may place extra burdens or costs on some builders. In such circumstances it may be more cost effective or convenient for a proponent to use facilities outside of the ACT. This would depend on the location of the site and the type of material to be recycled. I propose that the Bill be amended to allow waste material to be recycled at any appropriate facility outside of the Territory that is prescribed by instrument. I also propose minor corrections to the definitions of "building work", "waste management" and "dwelling" currently contained in the Act. The amendments are required to update the definitions and to clarify their application.

The building and construction industry has been consulted in relation to the Bill and the Government's proposed amendments. Representatives of the Housing Industry Association and the Master Builders Association have given their support to the amendments, Ms Tucker's Bill and the Government's approach to waste minimisation. Of course, the Government will continue to consult with these groups on the implementation of their waste management plans.

MR HARGREAVES (5.44): The Labor Party wishes to congratulate Ms Tucker on bringing this Bill forward and the Government on having the wisdom to pick it up and put forward relevant and appropriate amendments to it. We will be supporting the Bill and the amendments. It is an environmentally responsible Bill. Now, with those amendments, it is also a tidy one, so there is no waste here. We live in a society where more people are learning to recycle. We would like people to recycle as habit, as a normal part of life. I think it is a very practical and sensible Bill, one that everyone is going to benefit from. We urge the Assembly to pass the Bill.

Amendments agreed to.

Bill, as a whole, as amended, agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

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