Page 191 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 February 2016

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This government is committed to delivering safe and environmentally responsible recycling and waste management services to the ACT community. We have demonstrated this commitment over many years through ongoing investment and a wide range of high quality recycling and waste management facilities and services across the territory. Under this government, the ACT has achieved one of the highest levels of recycling of any jurisdiction in Australia. The ACT generates around 900,000 tonnes of waste each year, and over 70 per cent of this is reused for recycling or recycled.

Going further to some of the content of Ms Lawder’s motion, and why I am moving an amendment to it, I note the motion calls upon the government to conduct field-based ambient odour intensity assessment surveys. I am advised that field-based ambient odour intensity assessment surveys are best suited to situations where the potential sources of odour have been identified. As such, given the situation at the moment, it is not the best test for these circumstances. Given that we do not yet know the source of the odour, the use of such a survey would be of little to no use at this stage. This approach may have merit, though, once further data collection and analysis of other information, such as odour diaries, is completed.

Madam Speaker, we remain committed to providing environmentally responsible waste and recycling services to the ACT community, and this includes ensuring that the Mugga Lane landfill continues to operate to a high environmental standard. The government does take the concerns of all residents seriously and we are committed to finding the source of this odour and resolving the matter.

I would encourage all members in this chamber to forward any complaints to my office, as the more data we have, the better chance there is of locating the source of this odour and resolving the issue. Again, I would be happy to provide an on-site briefing to those members who are interested. I thank the Assembly for discussing this matter today, and I move the amendment that is circulated in my name:

Omit all words after “notes that”, substitute:

“(a) a number of Tuggeranong residents have reported a foul smell in December 2015 and January 2016;

(b) the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has been investigating the smell and, as yet, has not been able to determine its cause;

(d) investigations of this kind can be difficult in isolating the source of the odour due to the subjective nature of the matter and the periodic occurrence; and

(e) assistance from Tuggeranong residents in recording the times of any detected odours and their location is important in assisting the EPA in determining the source of the odour; and

(2) calls on the Government to:

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