Page 259 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 15 February 2012
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Mr Doszpot interjecting—
MS BURCH: I urge members in the Assembly, particularly those supporting the motion today, to put their time and effort where their mouths are. I did get a bite from Mr Doszpot; mind you, it was inaudible with the mumbling.
It is pleasing to note that the Tuggeranong Community Council has always decided that it would focus on cleaning up Lake Tuggeranong as a major part of its Clean Up Australia Day activities. I commend Tuggeranong Community Council for that. It is worth noting that I have had contact from a friend and associate saying that the Bangladesh Environment Network, BEN, has nominated Lake Tuggeranong for Clean Up Australia Day. It is fantastic that we have multicultural groups clearly taking pride in and ownership of their community here in Australia and participating in events such as this.
The member’s motion also states:
… there is always a considerable volume of rubbish in the water of Lake Tuggeranong and … rubbish continues to accumulate along the foreshore …
I acknowledge that there is rubbish; I do not think anyone can walk around the lake, which I do regularly, without seeing a level of litter. And unfortunately, there are some in our community who think that putting a shopping trolley in the lake is a fun thing to do. The litter is an unfortunate consequence of a combination of factors, including littering, illegal dumping and the transmission of litter on windy days. To address this, we are taking a number of steps in addition to litter removal from public open spaces.
I am advised by TAMS that Lake Tuggeranong has 14 gross pollutant traps sited on various stormwater channels in the suburb. Eight of these traps are located on the foreshore immediately next to Lake Tuggeranong. Cleaning of all gross pollutant traps for Lake Tuggeranong can take up to 10 to 12 days, with the most recent clean completed last week. I can also advise that every three months the shoreline of Lake Tuggeranong is litter picked, and any large dumped items such as trolleys and tyres are removed from the waterways using boats and heavy machinery. Resources dedicated to litter picking on the foreshores of Lake Tuggeranong and Point Hut pond are being supplemented through the prisoner employment program. By engaging with this program, the government will be able to increase the frequency of litter removal and, in doing so, continue to improve the amenity of Canberra’s most important waterways and open spaces.
In response to this motion, I can assure the Assembly that this government is committed to maintaining high levels of amenity across Canberra’s public spaces, and that certainly does include Tuggeranong. And let me make a point on Tharwa bridge: it is a great asset and a great investment; it is used regularly, certainly by me as I use it to access down south and enjoy the delights of the Brindabella areas.
As the Attorney-General has said, we will be supporting the amendments. We will not be supporting the motion Mr Smyth has put forward.
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