Page 3545 - Week 11 - Thursday, 22 September 2005

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group—it goes on and on—the ACT Sustainable Rural Lands Group, a number of other individuals, the Property Council of Australia, the Master Builders Association of the ACT, ActewAGL, the Australian Native Plants Society Canberra Region, the National Capital Authority, a range of LAPACs, including the west Belconnen area and other LAPACs, the Local Residents Association and a range of other individuals who took the opportunity to contribute to the debate and to respond.

I will conclude my comments about the enormous lengths that the government and Environment ACT went to to consult by saying that there was simply no effort spared in consulting on this legislation over a number of years. I do not think it is possible to imagine how we might have consulted further or otherwise than we did. And the record shows that.

To clear up the one area of confusion, which was very much the feature of ABC radio yesterday and led to a question from the opposition on ACT Tree Felling, one of those fine ironies: the person that appeared on the ABC breakfast show yesterday morning and insisted that he had never heard of the legislation, did not know about it, and was somewhat stunned by its introduction, made a submission. ACT Tree Felling is the company for which the person, who appeared on ABC radio yesterday to say he had never heard of the legislation and was completely dumbfounded at its introduction, made a submission. Mr Damien Smyth signed a submission under the letterhead of his company, ACT Tree Felling. There it is, the submission.

I will just read one part of it. He said that, whatever form the tree protection legislation takes, he believes that it will be good for the community; the option he would vote for would be option 1, because it includes trees in backyards. The submission goes on and on. I am not quite sure what led to Mr Smyth’s confusion in his interview with the ABC yesterday, but he made a submission directed to Environment ACT, received by the ACT and registered and distributed as a submission to the inquiry into the new tree legislation.

There certainly has been some confusion put about in relation to this, but let me assure members that the discussion was full; the deliberation was detailed; and the government is grateful to all those who took the opportunity over an enormous period of consultation, at every level, to deal with the government on this particular proposal. So I thank all of those that participated in this most detailed consultation process.

MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (11.59): Before I speak to the amendments, pursuant to standing order 213, I move:

That the document quoted from by Mr Stanhope be presented to the Assembly.

Question put.

The Assembly voted—

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