Page 2893 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
other issues which are purely police matters and they obviously will be a matter for the police. The fellow I am speaking about already has a solicitor on the job as well. I just indicate to the government that I will be writing to each minister in relation to some matters relevant to their portfolios.
It does raise one issue, which is interesting. I note that probably only Mr Speaker would remember this: in the 1994 Assembly there were concerns in relation to truck parking. One of the issues in relation to this particular constituent of mine does relate to trucks. He is a truckie; he has a truck parked outside his house. He gave me a petition signed by all bar one person in the street, having no objections with that.
I had a look at the regulations last night. Perhaps the 3.6-metre height regulation is a little bit unreasonable. Maybe a 4.5-metre or less would be a better regulation because that would enable most commercial trucks to be covered. The regulation, apart from that, seems to be relatively sensible.
Whilst that seems to be the issue in relation to him, it does not seem to be an issue in relation to any other trucks parked around the various neighbourhoods. It is not something I have heard much about recently. His issue relates to one person only who has it in for him and who is complaining. His neighbours do not mind.
It does raise the issue, too, of perhaps some easier way of centralised truck parking perhaps, as long as that is affordable, because these people are often owner-drivers and are struggling to make ends meet. The high fuel costs of course do not help, but it is an issue that perhaps does need looking at. It was a big issue in 1994. It has not been since, but clearly he has raised that issue with me and I will also be taking that up with the relevant minister.
On a different note entirely, might I congratulate one of the only remaining clubs in ACT rugby on its 70th anniversary recently, that is, Norths rugby club which was one of the foundation clubs in 1938. The only other one, I think, remaining in any capacity in the ACT competition is Easts, although RMC, I think, still play in one of the competitions as an entity, although I do not think they will be after next year.
I fully remember playing against Norths in juniors, when they were a very strong club indeed. They won a number of first grade premierships. They fell on difficult times. They amalgamated with Universities, which was formerly ANU until Canberra Uni came into it. Now they are Uni-Norths Rugby Club.
I was particularly impressed by the turnout of all these old Northies at their anniversary recently. They turned up for a gala day, including an over 30s game between ANU oldies and Norths. As usual, I was one of the oldest playing and—
Mr Barr: It is a bit of a worry when over 30s are becoming oldies.
MR STEFANIAK: It was a worry, Andrew, I can tell you. It was an even greater worry when there were some 45 old Northies there—some of them not very old at all—who were members of their last first grade side in about 1998 and only 12 old ANU players, Mystery and I being the oldest by a country mile. Luckily we enlisted the support of some of the ex-Norths players who still play with Uni-Norths,
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .