Page 2245 - Week 07 - Thursday, 27 August 2020
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for Urban Renewal) (2.44): Pursuant to standing order 211, I move:
That the Assembly take note of the following paper:
Smoke and air quality—Development of strategy—Government response to the resolution of the Assembly of 13 February 2020, dated 27 August 2020.
MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong) (2.44): This is a response to a motion that I moved earlier in the year after we experienced a period of unprecedented bushfire smoke across the summer. It highlighted many challenges that our city faced. At the time of moving the motion, I spoke about that in some detail, and I do not intend to repeat it today.
As this report back to the Assembly notes, due to a number of factors, there has been a delay in the progress on that work. That has been as a result of the health department being heavily involved in the COVID response, as well as the response to the royal commission into bushfires. In light of that, I think that the response we are seeing today is quite reasonable, but it does highlight the fact that the Tenth Assembly will need to come back to this issue. We can expect these sorts of problems to arise again in the future.
I spoke earlier today about the scenarios that we see for future bushfire emergencies, and the predictions from the group of 33 eminent former emergency services officers about the challenges Australia faces, going forward. It is important that we continue to prepare ourselves for future circumstances where we might see the repeat of smoke events that, unfortunately, we saw over the summer.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Supplementary answers to questions without notice
Canberra Health Services—staff wages
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: In response to a question from Mrs Dunne in relation to systematic underpayment of staff in Canberra Health Services from 2018, I am advised by Canberra Health Services that no-one in the human resources team is aware of anything systemic or systematic from 2018.
Land—valuations
MR GENTLEMAN: Further to the answer by the Minister for Housing and Suburban Development regarding valuations, I can confirm that the requirement that land be sold at market value is found in section 246 of the Planning and Development Act 2007.
Economic and fiscal update
Ministerial statement
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Social Inclusion and Equality, Minister for Tourism and Special Events and Minister for Trade, Industry
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video