Page 4153 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 22 October 2019
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I understand their frustration—occurrences of hoarding on private property not only impact those living on the premises but also create safety risks for other people using or occupying land surrounding the property where the hoarding is occurring. It diminishes the property value of the surrounding properties and causes neighbours mental distress as they contend with the years-long sagas that often surround these properties. They are often embarrassed to invite people around to visit them because they do not want people to know what their neighbours are doing. Put simply, people would prefer not to live next to hoarders.
Significant amounts of litter inappropriately stored on private property can attract vermin, snakes, wasps or other insects which, unlike the litter, do not respect property boundaries. Also, depending on the nature of the items stored, hoarding goods can present a serious fire risk, an unacceptable hazard to public safety. We also know large amounts of waste and litter do not meet community expectations of how one should maintain one’s block. Just because there is no health or fire risk does not mean it is not causing harm to the good order of the suburb.
We know hoarding is a complex and sensitive issue and often has underlying mental health implications. I am pleased the bill takes a staged approach to managing extreme cases of hoarding that does not criminalise such behaviour but instead allows real action to be taken. The framework is a step forward in addressing community concerns around hoarding, restoring neighbourhoods and making communities safer.
This framework also proactively discourages littering in our communities. The bill will support the reduction of littering in that impact on public safety. One example of littering and illegal dumping is the problem of abandoned vehicles. If they are not moved in a timely manner they may become subject to arson attacks, which can lead to further damage and unsightly waste.
This bill will improve the process for removing and disposing of abandoned vehicles. It will also introduce new powers for officials to enter the vehicle and identify the owner. It will enable compliance action to be taken, which will make our road areas safer into the future and reduce the unsightly appearance of abandoned vehicles left sitting in public places across our city.
This vast improvement in our system will assist in both deterring littering in the first place and streamlining the clean-up of littering where it occurs. This balanced and proportionate enforcement framework will result in improvement of the overall appearance as well as the safety of our open spaces, making Canberra a more livable city and the ACT a fantastic place to enjoy the great outdoors.
This bill will also extend existing legislation governing littering in the form of placing unsolicited leaflets on vehicles. The new provisions will apply to unsolicited items being placed on any fixed building or structure at a public place unless permission from the owner is granted.
Advertising materials attached to public assets are unsightly. I am sure we have all noticed that they are very rarely removed when no longer relevant. Under this bill
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