2017 has been a very busy year. Click on a month below to see what I've been doing as your local member.
The Canberra Liberals are pleased to see Steve Doszpot’s bill passed in the Assembly today, Leader of the Opposition Alistair Coe said.
"Steve worked tirelessly to provide the community with stronger protections against dangerous dogs," Mr Coe said. "He led the Canberra Liberals’ dog laws and if not for his persistence we would not have debated and passed these laws today. "While I welcome the steps taken today to reform our dog laws, I am disappointed that the Government still wants to put dangerous dogs back into the community.
"I am disappointed that the Government watered down some of our measures with 11th hour amendments.
"In the Canberra Liberals bill, a dog must be seized and impounded during an investigation into complaints of injury, serious injury or death of a person. In cases where it is found that a dog has attacked, causing the serious injury or death of a person, the Registrar must destroy the dog.
"The Government’s amendments provide too much discretionary power to the Registrar. "For example, the Registrar may choose to approve a license for a dog even if it is known to ‘pose an unacceptable risk to the safety of the public’. "This is a major point of difference between our bill and the Government’s amendments. "However, the bill is a step forward. Thank you to everyone who contacted our offices," Mr Coe concluded.
You may already have read today's Canberra Times report that ACT power bills will go up by $10 after the Government passed the Utilities (Technical Regulation) Amendment Bill 2017 transferring responsibility of trimming trees near power poles to ActewAGL.
As Shadow Minister for Infrastructure I spoke against this Bill – the cost of living in Canberra is already too high. To view my speech click here.
Up to now, the trimming of trees has been covered in your rates - which of course, have been going up and up.
Now, you will have to pay more to cover this basic service - but of course, no reduction of your rates.
I have yet to see any changes introduced by this government that lead to a reduction of electricity prices.
What we saw today was a complete about-face from Minister Mick Gentleman.
In Planning and Urban Renewal Committee Annual Reports hearings, he claimed that any building with Mr Fluffy loose-fill asbestos is unsafe, and must be demolished.
Later, he retracted that via twitter, saying that the commercial building in Ainslie was safe after remediation.
I say to Mr Gentleman, you can’t have it both ways. Why were nearly 1,000 Canberra homes purchased by the Labor Government and demolished, rather than home-owners being offered or allowed remediation so they could stay in their own home?
As we have seen on multiple occasions from this Labor Government, it’s one rule for some, another rule for others.
I don’t blame former Mr Fluffy home-owners who are feeling betrayed by the Government today."
The unanimous decision by the ACT Legislative Committee to establish an ICAC is welcome news for Canberra, Leader of the Opposition Alistair Coe said today.
“It is time to clean up Canberra from the mounting scandals that have been committed by the Labor Government with taxpayers’ money.
“Whether it is millions of dollars being paid for land without valuations, secret deals for contracts or sweetheart deals with certain property developers, enough is enough.
“An anti-corruption commission can’t come soon enough. We need to clean up Canberra,” Mr Coe concluded.
Authorised by Nicole Lawder, Canberra Liberals, 4/50 Geils Court Deakin ACT 2600