Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 4 Hansard (22 April) . . Page.. 1194 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

ACT Government's use of chemicals for pest control" and some recent media attention on pest and weed control activities in ACT schools. As the MPI is not confined to the ACT Government's pest and weed control activities, I will speak about how the Government is addressing best management practice in the public and private sectors.

Let me clarify the scope of pest and weed control activities in the ACT. Pest and weed control activities are undertaken under government contract and managed by ACT government asset managers, such as Canberra Urban Parks and Places, the Bureau of Sport and Recreation, ACT Forests and the Department of Education. These government contracts are undertaken by providers successfully tendering for pest control services. The providers currently may be from ACT government units, such as the ACT Parks and Conservation Service, CityScape and Totalcare Industries, or from the private sector. The private sector pest control industry is quite substantial and includes pest control activities undertaken by pest control businesses for ACT residents or by ACT residents in their own dwellings.

How does the Government take full responsibility for ensuring best practice management of all pest and weed control activities? On 1 June 1998 the Environment Protection Act 1997 was enacted and from that date it has been a requirement of all businesses undertaking pest and weed control activities to hold an environmental authorisation for the commercial use of agricultural and veterinary chemicals. This includes activities undertaken under government contracts or in the private sector. For those in doubt, we have a lot of experience in CityScape, for example. For instance, the supervisor at the Latrobe Park depot has more than 25 years' experience in this field and the staff member responsible for the Kambah pest control depot has about 15 years' experience in spraying, so we do have a large amount of experience in the ACT Government.

The ACT now has a regulatory framework which ensures that the commercial use of agricultural and veterinary chemicals is in accordance with the best practice environmental, public health and occupational health and safety standards. Prior to 1 June 1998 it was assumed that most pest and weed control businesses were also working in New South Wales and were therefore subject to New South Wales licensing provisions for pest control businesses and operators and that that sort of situation also protected the ACT. That, of course, was not an adequate way of doing so and the requirement for authorisations and the changes this Government has made clearly demonstrate our commitment to achieving best practice. The ACT environmental authorisation system complements the New South Wales licensing system through a set of strict authorisation conditions which specify the necessary training and experience of those undertaking pest and weed control activities and details stringent use, notification, storage, transport and handling requirements. In relation to government pest and weed control contracts, ACT government asset managers specify that successful tenderers must hold these environmental authorisations.

I will give some background to the Commissioner for the Environment's investigation into the ACT Government's use of chemicals for pest control. The Commissioner for the Environment's report was undertaken at the direction of the then Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning, Mr Humphries, pursuant to section 12(1)(b) of the Commissioner for the Environment Act 1993. The commissioner applied terms of reference based on the advice of a steering committee of experts which restricted the investigation to pest control activities by or on behalf of the ACT Government on all

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .