Page 939 - Week 03 - Thursday, 30 March 2006
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(2) What were the ambitions, goals and outcomes of the “Joint Champions” for 2005;
(3) How many people are currently involved with the group;
(4) What has the “Raising Our Voice” project achieved to date;
(5) How is tenant participation currently being implemented amongst public housing tenants.
Mr Hargreaves: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) Four.
(2) Promoting tenant participation in public housing.
(3) 23 tenants and Housing and Community Services staff as required.
(4) The project, finalised mid way through 2005, provided advice to the Department on enhancing tenant participation in public housing.
(5) Tenant participation is being implemented in line with the Department’s response to the “Raising Our Voice” report’s recommendations, which was released in October 2005.
Swimming pool fencing
(Question No 882)
Mr Seselja asked the Minister for Planning, upon notice, on 14 February 2006:
(1) Why are existing private swimming pools exempt from the requirement to be fenced with safety fencing, preventing access from outside the property and from the house;
(2) What measures has the Government taken to ensure that perimeter fencing for existing pools is adequate to protect neighbouring children from unauthorised access to a pool.
Mr Corbell: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) Swimming pools in the ACT are not exempted from the requirement to be fenced with safety barriers, preventing access from outside the property and from the house.
There is a small-pool exemption which has been in place for over 35 years, for pools that can contain less than a 300mm depth of water; these are essentially children’s wading pools, which are often inflated or assembled for short term use.
(2) The ACT Planning and Land Authority has building inspectors who are expert in applying the pool barrier provisions of the Building Code of Australia and who inspect suspected cases of unlawful pools which are brought to the attention of the Planning and Land Authority.
The Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 contains powers to issue emergency rectification orders. Those powers were specifically designed to cater for situations where for example a builder has constructed a pool and filled it with water before the required fencing was installed in compliance with the Building Act. Emergency rectification orders can apply to pools constructed up to 10 years ago.
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