Page 5822 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 7 December 2010
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He has been caught out. It does go to his values. It goes to the values of those voting for this ridiculous piece of legislation and I think maybe next time they should do a broader survey and ask these kind of questions and just see what kind of a response you get, and see if you get anywhere near even the 33 per cent of the community who actually support this ban in any way, shape or form.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Minister for Energy and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (12.16): The only people who need to rethink their position on this are the Liberal Party, because this is legislation that reduces waste to landfill, that reduces pollution in the environment, that reduces harm to livestock and other animals, that reduces the use of resources in a wasteful way.
What is it about that that the Liberal Party find so difficult? What is it about that that they think they need to undertake this cheap, nasty campaign against what is such a commonsense piece of legislation that 58 per cent of Canberrans believe—
Mr Seselja: No, they don’t.
MR CORBELL: an issue that 58 per cent of Canberrans believe needs to be addressed?
Opposition members interjecting—
MR CORBELL: Fifty-eight per cent of Canberrans believe this direction needs to be taken. When they do not like the arguments and when they do not like the facts that are put before them, they seek to shout me down. But the facts speak for themselves: 400 million fewer plastic bags to landfill in South Australia as a result of their ban; detailed scientific surveys confirming significant behaviour change on the part of people who are responding to that ban, who are adopting more sustainable practices, who are doing simple things like using a biodegradable bag or taking their own bag.
This is not the end of the world. This is common sense. This is about using resources more wisely and it is a measure that I believe the overwhelming majority of Canberrans like and support and which many children to come in our community believe is a good thing to do.
So the Liberal Party can stay in the past, but the rest of this Assembly is going to move forward with a sensible piece of legislation to reduce waste to landfill. That is what this bill does and it should be supported.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (12.18): The minister speaks about doing surveys and scientific facts and he puts on this impressive voice and talks about being shouted down. But he stumbled; he almost read the wrong fact halfway through his speech and he quickly diverted to another fact. But the fact is that only a third of Canberrans, according to the minister’s survey, actually support the ban. Two-thirds of the people of the ACT do not agree with the minister.
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