Page 3648 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 18 September 2018
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amounts of time and devoted their intellectual capacity and emotional contribution towards looking at these issues that affect all Canberrans. Once again, I would like to thank you for your contribution.
What I am asking about is the parliamentary process—whether this is now designed to take away, or is inadvertently taking away, from the role of all members with respect to the expectation that when a community bands together and puts forward a petition, the government will now use this process as a way of dismissing, rejecting and ignoring what that community group has put forward in that petition.
MS CHEYNE (Ginninderra) (10.42): I rise to speak briefly for two reasons: firstly, as many members in this place know, I am passionate about city services, as we all are, because understandably the look and feel of the city impacts how we feel about our city. Secondly, I rise to speak because I attended, not fully but in part, two of the three weekends. On the first weekend I attended to welcome many of the participants to Belconnen Library as they were going on their tour to learn about all the extensive community services and city services we undertake in this city. Secondly, I attended as an observer for about six hours on the Saturday of the second weekend.
Madam Speaker, I want to underline what Minister Steel said. What I saw on both of those days was a group of passionate Canberrans, a group of dedicated Canberrans, who were asking pertinent questions, making intelligent observations and really giving a damn about our community, our city, and how to make it better. It is no easy feat to give up three weekends, even in the middle of winter. I want to thank them for that.
While I have not yet had a chance to read the statement in full, it does seem to me that this impressive group has got it right. I think many members in this place will also agree that the priority areas the forum has identified are the areas that we consistently get feedback about, whether it is our urban forest or our waste management. I think the recommendations that so far have been alluded to by Minister Steel sound absolutely spot on. I really look forward to them coming into effect.
Of course, I am particularly interested in the curb-side bulky waste pickup which, as members in this place know, is an election commitment of ours. It is something that I heard repeatedly mentioned on the day. I note that Minister Steel has stressed this in his statement as well. I very much look forward to working collaboratively on that. It something I am very keen to see come about here.
Madam Speaker, I again want to put on the record my thanks, firstly, to Minister Fitzharris for this initiative. While I appreciate that there are differing views in this room about its value, I think the proof will be in the pudding. We are going to see just how important this was. I want to thank Minister Steel for his commitment and his passion. He will be seeing this through and we will all be looking forward to working with him on that. But most of all I want to thank the participants.
I really do not have the words to indicate just how impressed I was. Through you, Madam Speaker, I want to say thank you for being dedicated, passionate Canberrans representing a city of dedicated, passionate Canberrans who care about this place.
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