Page 4798 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Permanent water conservation measures were only announced today. It was pointed out to me today that some information has gone up fairly frantically on the Actew webpage today to reflect that. I do not call that a continuing comprehensive public awareness campaign. The tenor of what I have been talking about and what we have been talking about here is something a little more than a few things on Actew’s webpage. I would recommend to members that the words that I have suggested are superior.
Mr Rattenbury has added some words to paragraph (3) by adding a new paragraph (3)(f), which we have agreed to. Basically, what we are doing is calling on the government to report progress on this motion rather than particular parts of this motion. This is because we have actually added other things which need to be reported on by the last sitting day in June.
I think that will not be the completion of the process. The minister has said that by that stage they will only be part the way through an evaluation of the current water conservation measures et cetera. We do not expect that that is the end of it, but that is a reasonable point at which we should report. However, I think that there are now other things that need to be reported on; so we should not limit ourselves in that way. I commend the amendments to the Assembly.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (7.57): I will speak briefly. I propose that the vote be divided and that we take each of Mrs Dunne’s amendments separately.
Ordered that the question be divided.
MR RATTENBURY: I thank the Assembly. I will speak to the amendments briefly. The Greens will be supporting Mrs Dunne’s amendments 1 and 3. I do not have a particular beef with her amendment 2, but in the context that paragraph 3 now “notes” it grammatically does not work. It was framed in the context of “calls on”. So I think it is probably best leaving it as it currently is. That is the basis on which we will not be supporting No 2.
Mrs Dunne’s amendment No 1 agreed to.
Mrs Dunne’s amendment No 2 negatived.
Mrs Dunne’s amendment No 3 agreed to.
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: The question now is that the motion, as amended, be agreed to.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (7.59): I want to thank members for their cooperation and spirit in this. This has been a useful debate. It is useful to comment on and to note the high level of agreement on this matter. I think that with a reasonable level of agreement on this matter here in the Assembly we can progress a better conversation and end up with a better approach to water conservation measures and to our water restrictions in the ACT going forward.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video