Page 3929 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 25 August 2010
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If a trolley is impounded because a retailer left it out on collection day or did not collect it within 24 hours of receiving advice and the retailer also did not take reasonable measures to keep a shopping trolley within the precinct, then higher fines may apply.
It is this section which also encourages retailers to install trolley containment systems such as coin locks. This is an important incentive, as I have always said. Making these efforts on site can make a big difference to reducing the number of escaping trolleys and to ensuring that some of those escaped trolleys are actually taken to the trolley’s home rather than to individual’s homes.
There remains a section in the amended bill that allows small retailers to be exempted from this requirement. This may be necessary to keep the scheme fair, and I look forward to further discussions with the government about the appropriateness of exempting retailers who are below a certain size.
I would also like to point out that, due to these amendments, the explanatory statement I introduced with my original bill is now partly obsolete. The government has not proposed a revised explanatory statement to accompany the amendments. I have been assured, however, that the government will be producing public information about how the new trolley scheme will work. There will be a TAMS factsheet published online, and I understand the Office of Regulatory Services will now start working with retailers. I look forward to updates on how the implementation of this scheme is proceeding.
As I have said before, we now have a good scheme and strong government powers. We need the government to do a good job now with implementation and enforcement. The scheme comes into effect on a date to be fixed by the minister. However, at the latest, it will commence after six months. This means that by February next year the ACT will have a trolley maintenance scheme which will be a win for Canberrans in terms of litter, safety, the environment and the economy. I look forward to the next clean-up day, which is in March next year, to not having a lot of trolleys to clean up in Downer. I am sure the rest of Canberra on clean-up day will also be very pleased to find a lesser number of trolleys in their clean up.
Most areas of Australia have found it too tricky to address the trolley problem or they have just ignored it until the once-a-year clean-up day. The ACT is now a leader with a sound, well-balanced scheme that will bring good outcomes to our city. I commend the government for the process, and I support the amendments which Mr Stanhope is bringing forward. This has been a very good example of cooperative law making.
Amendments agreed to.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question now is that the remainder of the bill, as a whole, as amended, be agreed to.
MR COE (Ginninderra) (5.19): I would like to speak to the bill. The opposition will not be supporting this bill. As I said on 30 June, either the legislation will have no impact because it is too difficult to enforce or it will unfairly affect hardworking business men and women of Canberra by applying offences on retailers.
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