Page 2646 - Week 08 - Thursday, 30 June 2005
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Attachment 2
Document incorporated by the Minister for Urban Services
I present the Litter Amendment Bill 2005.
The Bill amends the Litter Act 2004 to empower an authorised person to require a person found committing an offence or believed to have recently committed an offence against the Litter Act to state his or her name and address. This information may be used to issue an infringement notice or a warning letter.
It is a regrettable fact that some in our community persist in disposing all manner of items anywhere they want with little regard for the safety of others or amenity of public open space. Leaving items around charitable collection bins or along the side of a road is not acceptable. It makes the city unsightly and can be potentially dangerous. The government spends more than $1.6m a year on cleaning up illegally dumped items, while charities are forced to divert time and money away from helping the disadvantaged in our community while they clean up rubbish dumped around their charity bins.
I am pleased to report that a recent blitz on illegal dumping around charity bins has proved very successful, with charities reporting reductions of up to 90% in the amount of dumping around their bins. Fourteen $200 on-the-spot fines have also been issued so far for people caught illegally dumping. Quite clearly, it is important we do all we can to assist City Rangers and other authorised people to enforce the Litter Act.
The current Litter Act only necessitates that people who are ‘occupiers of premises’ need provide their name and address should they be suspected of littering. Upon identifying this omission, my department has worked quickly to develop the Bill before the Assembly today to ensure that any person suspected of littering must provide their name and address to City Rangers and other authorised people should they fail to volunteer this information.
The Rangers will continue to target illegal dumpers and are patrolling trouble areas on the weekends and during the evenings. The Bill will support them in this work.
I commend this Bill to the Assembly.
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