Page 1935 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 5 August 2014
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community who have been affected. I think that is why this is an issue that has garnered the support of just about everybody in the community: essentially, we can put ourselves in your shoes and understand the effect on your lives emotionally, the concerns you have financially and your concerns for not only your health but the health of your family.
We look forward to working cooperatively with the ACT government, as we have so far. That does not mean it is a blank cheque. We do have a responsibility as the opposition to make sure that the government is doing all that it can. I would express that we have done that so far. I would like to welcome the role that Mr Smyth played in the early stages in dealing with this issue. The opposition came out and called on the government to provide an assistance package of $5 million, and I recognise that the government shortly followed that by doing so. The opposition called for all of the affected families and home owners to be advised by registered mail, and I acknowledge that that happened shortly afterwards.
I also note that as this moves forward there are going to be issues. There are going to be lapses in communication. We want to make sure that the task force is doing everything it can. We will make sure that, where we can, we are identifying the gaps in what is being provided and bringing those to the attention of the government. I foreshadow that in the Assembly on Wednesday I will be moving a motion to that effect. It will be calling on the government to make sure that the task force is adequately resourced to provide the response that it needs to provide, to report to the Assembly quarterly on progress with regard to Mr Fluffy, and to continue to support the bipartisan solution to provide compassionate support for affected home owners.
This is a human tragedy, Madam Speaker. I am proud of the fact that this Assembly has responded. It could probably have been done sooner, and I know that those that are affected have been frustrated by some of the delays in the response. But now I look forward to working cooperatively with the government to make sure that we provide the response that home owners need and deserve.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Petitions
Environment—Lake Tuggeranong—petitions Nos 11-14 and 14-14
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo), by leave: I welcome the fact that Ms Lawder has brought the petition forward today, and once again highlighted the issue of water quality in our lakes around Canberra, particularly Lake Tuggeranong.
Members who were here in the last term will recall my ongoing interest in this matter and the fact that in 2011 we agreed in this place to have the commissioner for the environment conduct a full inquiry into the state of our lakes. The commissioner’s report was an excellent contribution to the discussion, because it drew together all of the science and various expert opinions around the place. Until that point there had been some conflict, but he drew together a very clear picture of what needed to be done.
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