Page 1879 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 5 May 2009
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Abandoned vehicles left in situ can allow for opportunistic vandalism to spread throughout the area. Additional incidental crimes may occur in the vicinity of an abandoned vehicle. Windows of the vehicle can be smashed and parts of the vehicle removed. The vehicle itself can be set on fire, releasing a toxic cocktail of fumes and chemicals. The vehicle and surrounding property may be hit by graffiti taggers or people taking the opportunity to dump unwanted goods and belongings. Private and public property in the vicinity of the abandoned vehicle can also be caught within this wilful destruction and damage. Streetlights have been smashed and broken to ensure that it is difficult for any passers-by to easily identify the people committing such crimes.
I know that such ignorant and disorderly defacement of our public areas is intolerable to our community and I support this move to address the issue of abandoned vehicles. What beggars belief for me is that a person will take the time and effort to remove a car from their own premises and leave it in a public place when there are businesses out there which will remove the vehicle and, in some cases, provide payment for the goods. Why would anyone not utilise such recycling facilities? It can take just one phone call—one phone call to arrange for a business to remove your excess-to-requirements vehicle will see that vehicle collected and recycled appropriately. I believe that it is reasonable to expect that a person will appropriately dispose of any vehicle that they no longer require, rather than leave it in a public place and dismiss their responsibilities.
However, abandoned vehicles should not be considered just as a street inconvenience. Abandoned vehicles can increase a person’s fear of other incidental crimes, as I have mentioned previously. Abandoned cars are a blight on our neighbourhood and public spaces. They can be potentially hazardous in some cases, especially to children, and they can be arson incidents waiting to happen in other cases. They diminish the quality of people’s local environment and can act as a magnet for more serious antisocial behaviour.
This bill will see abandoned vehicles, once reported to the department, dealt with more quickly than at present. I believe that this bill complements other reforms to litter and dumping that were recently passed by the Assembly. I commend the bill to the Assembly.
MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (11.27): I rise to support this bill. The government has implemented a range of strategies to enhance our urban environment to ensure safe, clean and orderly public areas. When it comes to the issue of littering, the ACT government has initiated or supported several programs aimed at raising public awareness to address the issue of littering and the pollution of waterways. These programs include Landcare; Adopt-a-Road, which includes businesses; Adopt-a-Wetland; Clean Up Australia Day; a butt-free city campaign in conjunction with the Butt Littering Trust; and a campaign targeting illegal dumping at charity collection bins and litter and dumping in public laneways in Civic and main shopping areas.
As members know, I conduct regular mobile offices out in the community, particularly on the weekends, and people come up to me frequently to talk about how
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