Page 3926 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 25 August 2010
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The government amendments, however, also recognise there are times where the government will need to be able to act to collect shopping trolleys. The amendments create a scheme of shopping trolley collection days, whereby the Chief Executive of TAMS will give retailers two days notice that the department will conduct a sweep of specified areas and remove any trolleys found abandoned. Any trolleys not collected by retailers before a notified collection day will be removed by the government and taken to a retention area. Any reasonable costs incurred by the government in handling the trolleys will be charged to the retailer. The government considers that these reasonable costs will include the costs of removal and storage and any costs of destroying and recycling the trolley’s components if not retrieved. The reasonable costs incurred by the government in handling an abandoned shopping trolley become a debt owed to the territory, which is payable, whether or not the trolley’s owner collects its goods.
During consultation, the chamber of commerce indicated it preferred the government’s proposed trolley collection scheme requirements to those in the bill. The chamber of commerce indicated it does not support the requirement for a retailer to repay the government’s costs of destroying and recycling shopping trolleys. While I appreciate the chamber’s views in the matter, I think it is appropriate that these costs be passed on to any retailer that effectively abandons its shopping trolleys in the government retention area.
If passed by the Assembly, TAMS will begin the process of implementing the legislation over the coming months. In response to input from traders, the government has undertaken to advise them of the specific time when trolley collections will commence. This will allow retailers the time to undertake a sweep of the area immediately prior to government collection commencing. The government has consulted extensively with interested parties in determining its response to this bill. Consultation on the government’s amendments has occurred with the retail industry, the ACT region Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and I have sought advice from the Human Rights Commission.
Both the Human Rights Commission and the Scrutiny of Bills Committee have provided comments on the amendments. I believe that the amendments provide an adequate balance between public safety and urban amenity and consideration of society’s more vulnerable members on the other, a view shared by the human rights commissioner. Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. I commend the amendments to the chamber. (Time expired.)
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, members. Before we go on I would just like to draw members’ attention to the fact that Mr Moore, a former member of this place, has joined us in the gallery.
MS LE COUTEUR (Molonglo) (5.08): I would like to thank Mr Stanhope and the government in general for their cooperation with this bill. The amendments are the result of a good deal of cooperation between the Greens and the government. This is something we have been working on for some months, and I am very pleased that we will finally have an end to it in a few minutes, I guess.
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