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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 10 Hansard (12 October) . . Page.. 2947 ..

Mr Berry: What has this got to do with it?

MR HIRD: Listen, Mr Berry. This is in your electorate. You should be proud of what this Government has achieved since it came to office. You certainly would not be very proud of your term in government. Increases in resource recovery levels have had a corresponding influence on job creation in the waste management industry in the last five years. Over 140 jobs have been created in the resource recovery industry alone by this Government.

The Development Control Code for Best Practice Waste Management in the ACT, due for release next month, has the capacity to reduce large volumes of waste going to landfill. The code requires developers to submit a waste management plan, before their development application is approved, detailing the alternatives to landfill disposal. (Extension of time granted) Mr Speaker, as there was some talk earlier about initial testing at these sites I seek leave to table the result of tests carried out in 1996 by a company registered by the National Association of Testing Authorities.

Leave granted.

MR HIRD: I go back to what I said at the beginning. This is an example of political opportunism on the part of a member on the crossbench who seeks to frighten and scare Mr and Mrs Average and the workers. I see this as a cheap political stunt. As a local member, I received some phone calls from families living in the immediate area who wished to express their concern. I know that my colleague Mr Stefaniak also received complaints. Ms Tucker, it was not right for people to go and dump their rubbish on the weekend, but it was all right for you to go and stand on top of it. I rest my case.

MR HARGREAVES (12.07): I will be very brief. Mr Hird has just used up a fair amount of time telling us how wonderful the Government is in terms of its no waste by the year 2010 strategy. Really, he was just detracting us from the real issue. Just to debunk that for a second, we have to realise that this Government intends to close it. We also know that the Government has all but eliminated the recycling businesses which sit around the periphery of the tip. There were at least six businesses out there, three of which I know for a fact were recycling businesses. They are no longer there.

One of them, Aussie Junk, went in there about a year ago and was paying a peppercorn rent of $1, only to find that for the 1999-2000 year the Government wants $10,635.75 for a year. The greed of this Government has eliminated that recycling plant. So much for the elimination of waste by 2010. What is happening with all of that stuff, car bodies and bits and pieces like that, is that it is being stuck in a big hole known affectionately as Belconnen tip. So much for this Government's wonderful record on waste reduction. I think it is absolute rubbish, and there will be more said about that particular debacle later on.

Mr Speaker, the issue is one of Executive and ministerial responsibility. This is another example of this Government having all care, no responsibility, and blaming the public servants when things go wrong. Well, we have to make an example somewhere down the track and make sure Ministers realise that when you get a significant public health issue

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