Page 2163 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 5 June 2019
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It is very timely that we talk about this topic, as well as the earlier topic today about green organic waste and food organic waste, because today, 5 June, is World Environment Day. We are aware that we have a national waste crisis. We need to reduce, re-use and recycle. As I have already said, Canberrans are very good at this; they are to be applauded for the work that they are doing.
Whilst my colleagues on the other side try hard to paint us as non-believers, deniers or whatever, historically—as well as in current times—that was absolutely not the case. I remind you that it was our party that, in 1914, declared the first conservation land in the ACT. I remind those opposite that in 1934 it was our side of politics that declared the Gudgenby nature reserve. That is just picking out a couple of examples. I remind my colleagues that in 1971 it was our side of politics that declared the Tidbinbilla nature reserve. And I remind you that just last week we committed to some catchment group funding. This is just a very brief snapshot of our ongoing work in this area.
Today I am happy enough to support the minister’s amendments. I thank him for circulating those. This is an area where, time and again, those opposite want to lead Australia, indeed the world, by bringing in new things and being the first. In this particular regard, I am pleased to support Mr Steel’s amendment of the motion because it appears to be a ringing endorsement of the approach taken by the Morrison government. The minister, instead of wanting to be world leading or even Australia leading, as those opposite try to do in many respects, wants to assign all responsibility to the federal government. I am very pleased that he has seen that this is an endorsement of the work of my federal colleagues.
This is an important issue. It is one that Canberrans will increasingly face over the coming years with the end of the useful life cycle of their solar panels and our wish not to add to landfill by putting them into landfill. There are resources that can be retrieved from solar panels, whilst being aware of potential contaminants and things that we do not want in our landfill.
I thank my colleagues for their contribution today. I thank them for their thoughtful comments and their support for what is, in effect, the motion of Ms Lee, the shadow minister for the environment. I thank her office for the work they have put into this. We will support the amendment.
Amendment agreed to.
Original question, as amended, resolved in the affirmative.
Gungahlin—infrastructure
MR PETTERSSON (Yerrabi) (5.18): I move:
That this Assembly:
(1) notes the strong population growth in the Gungahlin area, including:
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