Page 1658 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 1 April 2009
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MR SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, a supplementary question?
MR HANSON: Minister, as the minister, you should be well aware of your responsibilities under the act. Has 2.6 been fixed or not? Yes or no?
MR HARGREAVES: As I indicated in my original response to Mr Hanson, I intend to give an expansion at the conclusion of question time. I have to go back and revisit what the exact wording is on page 61 of 22 January. As I said in my response originally to Mr Hanson, I will be expanding at the end of question time on the response that I gave yesterday. I do not trust him, so I will have to go back and look at the exact wording of site meeting 61.
Mr Speaker, as I said originally in response to the question from Mr Hanson, I intend to expand on the question at the conclusion of question time. I will need to have a look at that, because the fact is, the document has 600 pages in it. I have to go back and have a look at it, because I do not trust them not to twist the words. But, once I have done that, that will be the position. As I indicated at the beginning of my response to Mr Hanson, I intend to expand on the answer I gave yesterday at the conclusion of question time.
Trees—removal
MS LE COUTEUR: My question is for the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services. I am sure that you are aware of the article in today’s Canberra Times on page 3 concerning a 300-year-old yellow box in O’Connor. Minister, while we agree that there appear to have been concerns about falling limbs, was it necessary to remove all of the limbs, has the tree already been poisoned and, if all that has happened, will you consider at least leaving the trunk standing as habitat for native birds?
MR STANHOPE: I thank Ms Le Couteur for the question. I am aware of the article, Ms Le Couteur, and most certainly I share the distress of all tree-loving Canberrans, and I would hope all Canberrans, about the decision that was taken to render safe a large remnant of yellow box in O’Connor which is a very significant tree aged at approximately 300 years of age, a tree that had been assessed as a result of representations or complaints, concerns, expressed by the O’Connor cooperative school to Territory and Municipal Services that they feared for the safety of their children.
The tree was assessed by the tree maintenance unit within Territory and Municipal Services. As a result of that assessment, it was agreed that the concerns expressed by the O’Connor cooperative school were well founded, that the tree represented an unacceptable risk to the safety of children and to all other people using that particular area or passing within range of that particular yellow box. It had dropped three large branches in recent times and a decision, with great regret and hesitation, was taken that we simply could not afford to risk the life of any Canberran passing under or near that tree.
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