Legislative Assembly for the ACT

8 March 2016Legislative Assembly for the ACT

Legislative Assembly for the ACT8 March 2016

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY FOR THE

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

HANSARD

TUESDAY, 8 MARCH 2016

Resignation of member (Statement by Speaker)713

Announcement of member to fill casual vacancy713

Oath or affirmation of allegiance713

Affirmation of allegiance by member714

Inaugural speech714

Justice and Community SafetyStanding Committee720

Health, Ageing, Community and Social ServicesStanding Committee722

Justice and Community SafetyStanding Committee722

Public AccountsStanding Committee723

Planning, Environment and Territory and Municipal ServicesStanding Committee724

Standing committeesmembership724

Autonomous vehicles (Ministerial statement)724

Womens economic progress (Ministerial statement)730

International Womens Day734

ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal Amendment Bill 2016748

Victims of Crime (Financial Assistance) Bill 2016749

Questions without notice:

Canberra Hospitalpatient care755

ACT Healthworkplace culture757

Economyreform758

Tuggeranongoffensive odours761

EnvironmentMugga Lane tip763

Gamingpoker machines764

ACT Policingdrug testing765

Housinggovernment purchases765

Energybattery storage766

Continuing resolutionfreedom of speech769

Papers769

Planning and Development Act 2007variation Nos 332, 333 and 334 to the territory plan770

Planning and Development Act 2007variation No 341 to the territory plan772

Papers774

Small business (Matter of public importance)774

Protection of Rights (Services) Legislation Amendment Bill 2016788

Road Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2016790

Adjournment:

Catholic Schools Week800

Tuggeranong Vikings sports awards801

Koalashabitat protection802

Clean Up Australia Day804

Canberra area theatre awards804

Tuesday, 8 March 2016

The Assembly met at 10 am.

(Quorum formed.)

MADAM SPEAKER (Mrs Dunne) took the chair, made a formal recognition that the Assembly was meeting on the lands of the traditional owners, and asked members to stand in silence and pray or reflect on their responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory.

Resignation of memberStatement by Speaker

MADAM SPEAKER: Pursuant to the resolution of the Assembly of 27 March 1992, which authorises me to receive written notice of resignation of a member, I wish to inform the Assembly that I received a written notice from Ms Porter, dated 19February 2016. Pursuant to subsection 13(3) of the Australian Capital Territory (SelfGovernment) Act 1988, I present the following papers:

Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 (Cwlth), pursuant to subsection 13(3)Resignation of office as MemberPorter, Ms M.Copy of letter of resignation, dated 19 February 2016.

Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital TerritoryCasual VacancyCopy of letter to the Electoral Commissioner, ACT Electoral Commission, from the Speaker, dated 19 February 2016.

Announcement of member to fill casual vacancy

MADAM SPEAKER: The Clerk has been notified by the Electoral Commissioner that, pursuant to sections 189 and 194 of the Electoral Act 1992, Mr Jayson Hinder has been declared elected to the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Ms Porter. I present the following paper:

Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital TerritoryCasual VacancyDeclaration of the pollLetter from the Electoral Commissioner, ACT Electoral Commission, to the Clerk, ACT Legislative Assembly, dated 7 March 2016.

Oath or affirmation of allegiance

MADAM SPEAKER: In accordance with the provisions of the Oaths and Affirmations Act 1984, which requires the oath or affirmation of a new member to be made before the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory or a judge of that court authorised by the Chief Justice, the Hon Justice Helen Murrell, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory, will attend the chamber.

The Chief Justice attended accordingly

Affirmation of allegiance by member

Mr Jayson Hinder was introduced and made and subscribed the affirmation of allegiance required by law.

The Chief Justice having retired

MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Hinder, on behalf of all members, I bid you a warm welcome to the Assembly. Mr Hinder.

Inaugural speech

MR HINDER (Ginninderra): I seek leave of the Assembly to make my inaugural speech.

Leave granted.

MADAM SPEAKER: Before I call Mr Hinder, I wish to remind members that this is his inaugural speech, and it is tradition that it is heard in silence.

MR HINDER: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise to share with the Assembly and the people of Canberra my background, my vision for our city, and the experience and dedication that I will bring to this place. Before I start, Madam Speaker, I would just like to mention that on Saturday during a charity rugby match at Jindabyne, Bill Stefaniak broke my nose, so delivering this speech will be a little difficult.

Bill and I also play in the parliamentary rugby team, and have been good friends for over 10 years. I did at the time, however, pause to consider what foreboding cosmic message was being sent, that in the week I am to take my seat in the Assembly, a former leader of the Canberra Liberals should break my nose. It probably says more about my suitability for this place that I thought little of the fact that at the time Bill and I were on the same team.

Madam Speaker, just as I have come from humble beginnings as the apprentice mechanic I was to the barrister and bank chairman I have become, in a parallel journey Canberra, the city we all love, has also come a long way. Our city has a rich heritage grounded in a long history of Aboriginal settlement in the area. Today I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people who are the traditional owners of this land on which we meet and the electorate I represent. I pay my respects to their elders past and present. We should never forget that Aboriginal people are the custodians of some of the oldest continuing cultures in human history and that they have much to be proud of in their heritage.

The history of our city as a capital is one of progress and diversity. Founded as a capital in 1913, our city has grown from a small town to a metropolitan city with a high standard of living and equality of opportunity. Canberra has historically been a place of compromise. It was originally founded as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne and, throughout the 20th century, was a place of work that people from

Sydney and Melbourne went to in order to advance their careers with no intention of staying. A funny thing happened to many of those people. In spite of their conviction to return north or south, they began to like this country bush city town.

Among those won over by the Berra in 1962 were Mr and MrsRichard and Colleen Hinder, formerly of Sydney and Picton respectively. They lived in rented accommodation in Queanbeyan and Ainslie before building in Jensen Street in Hughes. They were the second house in the Woden Valley, the first being Doug Anthonys, who was later to become Country Party leader and Deputy Prime Minister.

All of their friends asked why they were moving all the way out to Hughes. It was at that home in Hughes and in this town that I was born. For all of my life and very nearly half of Canberras it has been my home. Canberra today is much changed, no longer a paddock with grand buildings plonked in it, no longer a place people cannot wait to leave. I rarely hear that there is nothing to do in Canberra because that is plainly no longer true. The streetscapes have changed, with cosmopolitan cafe culture replacing or augmenting conventional retail services and repair, arts precincts and residential developments all integrated to create something different. In my view these changes are in large part thanks to the efforts of successive Labor governments.

We have enabled considerable change. We have consistently invested in worldclass arts and sporting facilities and worked with the business community to diversify Canberras economy, and we continue to encourage, support and foster the growth of the university sector and tourism. We will continue to invest in public transport infrastructure to meet the demands of our growing city for decades to come. Under Labor, Canberra has become a city capital to be proud of. That is why I am proud to stand in this chamber on this side as a Labor member and have the opportunity to contribute to the citys further growth while ensuring we preserve the history and social fabric of our city.

The electorate of Ginninderra is well known to me, having lived in the area for decades. I first moved to Latham and then to Florey in 1985. Ginninderra incorporates all of Belconnen, as you know, and the southern part of Gungahlin. It stretches from Molonglo River in the south to Hall in the north and from Macgregor in the west to Kaleen in the east.

At the October poll this year the new seat of Yerrabi will incorporate nine of the suburbs currently comprising Ginninderra, including my own suburb of Giralang. The people I have met in the 30 years since I first moved to Latham are some of the proudest and hardest working people in the country. Ginninderra is a relatively young electorate with a lower median age than the national average. It is also a gr