Page 4145 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 22 October 2019
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At the Murrumbidgee Education and Training Centre, young people have received nationally recognised qualifications in a variety of areas such as construction, hospitality, business, horticulture and fitness, as well as year 10 and year 12Â certificates. This is a great outcome and shows how important a rehabilitative youth justice system is.
Bimberi is an end point in our youth justice system. It is a complex environment, and I know that the ACT government does everything it can to keep young people and workers safe at the centre. There is also a range of oversight mechanisms like the Human Rights Commission and the official visitors. On the whole, the reports from these bodies show that Bimberi is a centre that offers young people many opportunities to engage in rehabilitation. I note that the minister also tables the Bimberi headline indicators in this place, which is another way for us to better understand the operation at Bimberi.
By nature, young people are risk takers. But we know that strengthening protective support and building resilience will make young people less likely to engage in antisocial behaviours. Ultimately this is about making sure that children and young people are safe, strong and connected. When young people enter the youth justice system, we need to wrap around them and support them as the ACT government is doing.
I thank Mrs Kikkert and the Minister for Children, Youth and Families for highlighting this important issue. This government is committed to ensuring a safe, strong, connected cohort of young people in the ACT. The reforms discussed today are excellent examples of the ongoing effort of this government to deliver on this commitment.
Discussion concluded.
Litter Legislation Amendment Bill 2019
Debate resumed from 6 June 2019 on motion by Mr Steel:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (3.37): I rise today to address the government’s Litter Legislation Amendment Bill 2019. No-one can object to actions to keep Canberra a beautiful and litter free city. Not only is litter unattractive; it can also be dangerous. The reckless dropping of a lit cigarette or a used syringe are obvious examples. The presence of litter also points to a lack of interest, concern or commitment to recycling by some people. So we all have an interest in reducing or eliminating littering in Canberra.
We struggle sometimes to find the right solution to our littering issues. One of the most common complaints I get as an MLA is from constituents writing, emailing or contacting me in person about rubbish left along roadsides or thrown on to median strips. Of course, the social media sites are full of stories of abandoned piles of
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