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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 6 Hansard (15 June) . . Page.. 1866 ..

MR STEFANIAK: Mr Speaker, I was unaware that the burnout laws have been watered down. You will have to have a chat to me about that, Dave. Maybe we need to beef them up again. Whether they might work in this case is another thing entirely. I would hope that some of the excellent amendments to the Crimes Act which I introduced today might have some positive effect on these hoons who have created this damage to Latham Oval. I have been very concerned with things like this in recent times at our primary schools and high schools. I think this is a mindless, senseless act of vandalism. People who do it should be absolutely ashamed.

I understand that the school has repaired the grassed area already and that departmental officers are working with the school to see how we can alleviate this problem. One of the things might be by restricting vehicle access to the grassed areas. Despite the very best intention behind any law, including burnout laws, you probably are always going to get some people who are going to do the wrong thing. I think we can do something in terms of us fixing up access to the oval. One way might be to erect some barriers there.

If the government's budget is passed there is an extra $5 million for minor new works. Some of that might well be used for something like this because I have been concerned that that school, particularly, has had some significant vandalism. I have spoken to the school about that. Police patrols have been increased, and I think sometimes people have stayed overnight at the school. I am not too sure whether the perpetrators have been caught. They have come very close to being caught because of the efforts being made by police and staff at the school. I certainly hope that the perpetrators are caught and receive good solid penalties from the courts when they go in front of them. But we certainly have some capacity, Mr Rugendyke, in minor new works, and that is something the department is looking at. I think there will be ways we can assist there.

Williamsdale quarry

MR BERRY: My question is to the Chief Minister and it is in relation to the quarry at Williamsdale. Yesterday the Chief Minister was disinterested in my question about the favourable rebate provisions that were being made out there. He did not seem interested in answering the question. In fact, I think he rather scoffed that people in this place might be interested in those rebate rates.

Mr Moore: Is that a preamble, Mr Speaker?

MR BERRY: This is not the supplementary question.

MR SPEAKER: He is allowed to do it.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, this is the same Chief Minister who was a signatory to the order to Totalcare to sell 50 per cent of the quarry to a joint venturer, Pavement Salvage.

Mr Humphries: On Totalcare's advice.

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