Page 1306 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 27 March 2012
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Mr Seselja: In relation to answers.
MR SPEAKER: In relation to the original question, or any of the answers given. The Chief Minister has specifically spoken about Cotter Dam and that is why the question is in order. Chief Minister, you have the floor.
MS GALLAGHER: Thank you, Mr Speaker. As Mr Seselja would know, the Cotter Dam project is being managed by Actew, the territory-owned corporation. We are shareholders of Actew. We have certain responsibilities in relation to our shareholder duties.
As to the day-to-day management of that project and, indeed, the financial management of that project, that is a responsibility of the Bulk Water Alliance set up under the appropriate legal arrangements. In relation to whether or not there will be an update on the Cotter Dam in the next newsletter, I would expect there would be—
Mr Seselja: On costs.
MS GALLAGHER: Including the budget, Mr Speaker. That would be provided in the next annual summary of the “Our city, our community” update, which is provided at this time on an annual basis.
Waste—dumping and collection
MS LE COUTEUR: My question is to the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services and is in relation to waste dumping and collection. A significant amount of waste dumped both legally and illegally is e-waste, largely TVs, but also computers. At present the ACT government charges a fee to everyone who legally disposes of e-waste. The federal government’s Product Stewardship (Televisions and Computers) Regulations now regulate e-waste. Given that you have announced that the national e-waste scheme will be in place in the ACT by June, if this leads to free disposal for new and existing e-waste, why has the government not publicised this and encouraged people to wait rather than illegally dump?
MS GALLAGHER: We are not encouraging people to illegally dump. The reason that we have charges for e-waste is that we were one of the first jurisdictions, and indeed I do not think all jurisdictions have followed us, to not put e-waste into landfill. Those councils and other jurisdictions where you can dispose of your TV or your computer for free are still putting them into landfill. We took a decision not to do that. In order not to do that, we had to cover costs for the recycling and re-use of e-waste. The charges that are applied to that cover the cost, almost, I am told, of the appropriate recycling and re-use of the waste generated from TVs and computers.
Ms Le Couteur: Point of order.
MR SPEAKER: Order!
MS GALLAGHER: In relation to the new—
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