Page 525 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 19 February 2020
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we can do better. But, most importantly, we need better resources for our city rangers and to give them the authority to do more to enforce the rules we already have. I commend this motion to the Assembly, and I hope that the concerns of residents will be heard and acknowledged by this government.
MR STEEL (Murrumbidgee—Minister for City Services, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Recycling and Waste Reduction, Minister for Roads and Active Travel and Minister for Transport) (4.31): I thank Mr Milligan for bringing this motion to the Assembly. It gives me an opportunity to emphasise the work that is ongoing by City Services and that staff are undertaking each and every day to keep our suburbs tidy and our environment clean. Littering and illegal dumping is a big problem that occurs in many forms across our city. I certainly acknowledge the specific issue in relation to Yerrabi that Mr Milligan has highlighted. These actions have a significant impact on the wellbeing of people in our community and on our environment.
In November last year the Assembly passed the government’s reforms to the Litter Act 2004. These amendments introduced new and robust laws that are designed to address some of the key issues around illegal dumping and making enforcement easier. They deal with abandoned vehicles, road users making the roads unsafe by failing to cover a loaded vehicle appropriately and extreme cases of hoarding. By improving the enforceability and efficiency of this legislation and introducing proportionate and escalating offence provisions, we are continuing to combat littering and illegal dumping to create a safer and cleaner city.
A new escalating system for illegal dumping has been introduced whereby the penalty for an offence increases with the amount of litter dumped or deposited. Penalties, including fines or the option to prosecute, apply if a volume of litter greater than one litre is deposited. Prosecution by a court is available if the amount of litter dumped is more than 200 litres. The maximum penalties available also increase with the volume dumped. This includes dumping litter between 200 litres and 1,000 litres; there are 50 penalty units that can be applied, with an imprisonment term of six months or both. For dumping litter of 1,000 litres or more there is a penalty of 100 penalty units, imprisonment of one year or both.
Dumping and littering offences now apply to both public and private lands. A person dumping litter on another person’s open private space—for example, another person’s front yard or a vacant block owned by another person—can be issued the same penalties as for dumping on public land. Dumping and abandoning a vehicle attracts the highest fines, with a maximum of $1,800, made up of a $1,500 fine for dumping of litter over 200 litres plus a $300 fine for ignoring a removal notice.
The existing offence for distributing unauthorised advertising material has also been expanded to include placing items on any territory asset such as a light pole or bus shelter, as these items often become litter. And the fine for distributing unwanted advertising material has been increased.
Litter on our roads is often due to the failure of drivers to properly secure their loads. This litter is unsightly, with items often falling off vehicles also being very dangerous.
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