Page 193 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 February 2016
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minister to find the cause of the problem and find a solution to remedy it so that the good folk of, particularly, Macarthur and Gowrie can enjoy the wonderful outdoors and the views that they can have.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (5.12): I will speak very briefly as Ms Fitzharris has covered the issue in quite some detail. As members will recall, I was formerly responsible for this in the territory and municipal services portfolio. I guess there have been two different phases to this. There was an incident last summer in which the tip face was deliberately opened up as part of reclaiming space in the tip. I know some residents had quite a strong experience from that, and that was an unfortunate but necessary piece of work in order to reclaim a significant amount of volume at the tip. That matter was resolved. At the time we apologised to those who experienced odours as a result of that piece of work.
These new complaints really started to loom up late last year. I simply want to echo the comments Ms Fitzharris made about the fact that the directorate has taken it very seriously. I think the challenge has been that, certainly at the beginning, the reports were very sporadic. There were very few reports, and there was a degree of difference in them that made it difficult to actually ascertain what the source of the odour might be. But I do know that the directorate has taken it seriously. Ms Fitzharris outlined the number of visits that have been made, the number of site inspections and the like, and I can certainly recall that they were trying hard but really struggling to find the answers. I am happy to support the amendment that has been brought forward by Ms Fitzharris today because I think it outlines the fact that the government is taking it seriously. The TAMS directorate, NOWaste and the EPA have all put considerable effort into this, and more residents now are starting to provide some support as well.
I welcome the offer Ms Fitzharris has made, because the more information that comes in the better. I hope we can resolve this. I think the very nature of the media reports of people reporting across different parts of Tuggeranong, reporting different types of smell, and there being different theories on where it is coming from underline the fact that this has been challenging. But hopefully we can get to the bottom of it soon and resolve this issue for people who are experiencing odour concerns. I will be supporting the amendment brought by Ms Fitzharris.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (5.14): I welcome Ms Burch’s intervention. Ms Burch has finally had a mobile office and listened to a constituent. Some 15 months after Ms Lawder started campaigning to rid those parts of Tuggeranong of these foul smells, Ms Burch has joined in. Well done; I am very grateful that she is doing that.
It is interesting that the story seems to shift. Perhaps it is the case that once the odour was not from the tip. But the thing is that this has now been going on for some time. We are all entitled to the pleasant enjoyment, particularly during the summer months, of sitting outside and having a barbecue and having friends over, and there are parts of Tuggeranong now where that does not happen.
I remind members—and you would remember, Madam Speaker—that there was once a progressive government in this place that had a policy that said no waste by 2010 and that the tips would shut. Of course, that was not achieved because not so progressive Labor governments walked away from it. I think what this highlights is
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