Page 4317 - Week 13 - Thursday, 4 December 2014
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I note also that there are a number of recommendations specifically directed to TAMS, in the area that TAMS has responsibility for: the disposal of the waste and the safe containment of the waste. As the TAMS minister, I have particularly noted those areas and the government’s response that TAMS will take those issues on board. I think we in the committee have already largely indicated our willingness to address those and will continue to do so.
The committee does note the issue of a board of inquiry, and I think it is quite appropriate that there be an inquiry at some point in time. It is important to inquire into the history of this issue, to learn how it occurred, what needs to be improved and to put the history on the record. What is important is that it is the right inquiry, an inquiry that will get the information and answers that we need as a community, not an inquiry that works to a particular political timetable.
As the founder of and spokesperson for the Fluffy Owners and Residents Action Group, Ms Heseltine, pointed out to the committee last week, the group would like to see an inquiry that spans the full scope of the Mr Fluffy issue, including all relevant levels of government. As well as looking at the ACT, this would include the commonwealth, given its role in the issue before self-government, as well as New South Wales, acknowledging that it also has a number of Mr Fluffy properties.
It is also worth considering whether holding an immediate inquiry is the right approach, given the government is just starting its program of remediation. I note the comments in the government’s response to the committee report, which of course underline the fact that, should a board of inquiry be started immediately, task force resources would necessarily be committed to that board of inquiry process. Given the significant volume of work already in place for the task force, I do have a real question about whether that is where we want to be putting resources at this moment in time, given the many other questions that remain to be resolved by the task force as we seek to move this program forward.
So I will flag now that I do support an inquiry. I think this Assembly needs to do further work to work out what the timing should be of that inquiry, what form it should take and how that should relate to a commonwealth inquiry. I note that the committee report said that the ACT should do it and then hand it over to the commonwealth. I am not convinced that is the best approach and I think we need to continue to look at a suitable mechanism to find the right way to look into this issue and also at how we assess the task force’s work and the government response as we continue.
I would simply like to conclude today by offering my support to those households that are affected. These are incredibly difficult days, and there are, no doubt, difficult days ahead. Through the passage of this bill today we do have a way forward. This Assembly will have appropriated the funds to enable the government to provide support and compensation to those people who have found themselves in circumstances that are no fault of their own. At the end of the day, that is the worst part of this entire story. People who currently own the homes have no blame. The government of today does not carry blame. This is not a blaming exercise. But we find ourselves in a situation in which, really, there are no winners.
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