Chief Minister Talkback Summary - 16 October 2015


Posted on 16/10/2015

Calls received on air

Directorate:  ESA and Health

Issue: The caller wondered what to do about a hoarding issue occurring in her street in Kambah. She and other residents are concerned about potential health and fire hazards due to the collection of old wood, electrical items and general rubbish at the property. Other residents in the street have tried to help the occupants to clean up but it has not helped and is consequently affecting price values of other properties nearby and the general overview of the street.

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said he would arrange ACT Fire and Rescue to do an inspection to assess potential fire risk of the property, and Health protection services to have inspect for potential health hazards.

OUTCOME: The Health Protection Service within ACT Health conducted a site visit of the property in Kambah. While there is an accumulation of building material on the property, it is not deemed to be an insanitary condition, as defined under the Public Health Act 1997. However, the owner has been encouraged to reduce the volume of building material stored on the property. Fire & Rescue also inspected the premises on 20 October 2015 with the occupier already having commenced a cleanup of the site. These premises have been routinely visited by Fire & Rescue officers over the past two years.


Directorate:  Economic Development

Issue: The caller asked what the laws would be for the new Casino development with regards to poker machines and if the laws would be different than for clubs in Canberra.

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that a proposal had been put to Government that was currently being looked at closely, but that no decisions had been made yet. The Deputy Chief Minister also reiterated the Chief Minister’s position that the there would be no net increase to the amount of pokies in Canberra, but re-distributing the current numbers may be investigated. Any change would need to go to the Legislative Assembly.


Directorate: CMTEDD – Healthy Weight Initiative

Issue: The caller requested whether a sugar tax could be implemented to combat the obesity issue in Canberra in a similar way that cigarettes were priced to make them less cheap and convenient.

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said there was no easy answer to the obesity issue. While the caller made a good point, a proposed sugar tax would need to be done at a Federal level.

The Deputy Chief Minister referred the caller to approaches that the ACT Government is currently taking to combat the obesity issue, including a public consultation that is underway on the time to talk website asking the public their views on advertising junk food, especially advertising aimed at children. The Deputy Chief Minister also mentioned how the ACT Government is working on making walking and cycling more accessible to improve physical activity for people on their every day journeys.


Directorate: TAMS

Issue: The caller expressed concern about the high volume of motor vehicle accidents occurring at the intersection of Tillyard and Ginninderra Drive in Charnwood and what the government was doing about it. The caller went on to say that the upgrades made to the roads in the area had not made any difference to the amount of accidents occurring.

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister recognised that it was a very busy stretch of road and that upgrades had taken place. TAMS are currently conducting a further evaluation of safety upgrades that have been done and whether they have been effective or not. The information from the evaluation would be used to advise government on whether further safety measures would be needed.

OUTCOME: Roads ACT is aware of the crashes at this intersection and, given the continued crash rates, is committed to improving the safety and performance of this site.  The intersection has been identified on Roads ACT priority list of future capital works program.


Directorate:  CMTEDD

Issue: The caller was concerned about some workers and employers paying less than minimum wage and avoiding tax by paying/being paid in cash.

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister referred the caller to report the issue to Fair Work Australia to investigate.


Directorate:  TAMS

Issue: The caller requested whether she and her neighbours could get permission from the ACT Government to plant gum trees and possibly fruit trees to create a community garden/orchard at the green belt near their houses in Kambah.

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that the ACT Government encourages community projects such as gardens and orchards and that a round of grants for Community gardens had just closed recently. He suggested that they look into that scheme in the future. The Deputy Chief Minister said that he would get TAMS to get in touch with the caller to look into it more closely, as the concern can be that sometimes these types of projects create maintenance issues for TAMS.

OUTCOME: An officer from TAMS contacted the caller and advised of the regulations and requirements relating to the use of public land in the ACT. In particular, the TAMS website provides information on how to modify a nature strip. Information about community gardens can be found athttps://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/1008/~/community-gardens


Directorate:  TAMS

Issue: The caller expressed concern about A-frame signs advertising shopfronts being trip hazards for the disabled, elderly and people with prams when placed on footpaths, particularly in Civic.

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that the ACT Government does encourage advertising, however there are regulations in place that prevent the signs being placed anywhere that hinders pedestrian access or that may present a trip hazard. He said he would get the city rangers to look at the Civic signs and ensure regulations are being followed.

OUTCOME: City rangers are currently conducting compliance inspections of A-frame signs in the City Centre. Regular weekly patrols are undertaken to monitor compliance. If issues are identified in a specific area remedial action will be taken.  


Directorate:    TAMS

Issue: The caller expressed concern about the build up of traffic that occurs at the entrance to the Calwell Ambulance station on Johnson Drive when vehicles are waiting to turn right into the driveway.

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that ESA are aware of the issue but he will get them to investigate further to see if there are further safety measures that can be taken. This may even mean signage in the short term so that people are aware, but in the longer term there may need to be other solutions.

OUTCOME: An officer from TAMS contacted the caller and advised that a T-intersection warning sign and an “Ambulance Station” warning sign on both approaches to the ambulance station driveway will be installed. The provision of a right turn auxiliary lane would cost several hundred thousand dollars and would be difficult to justify from a cost benefit point of view.


Directorate:    TAMS

Issue: The caller expressed concerns about the ability to get lost around the Airport area due to lack of signage, especially with the opening of IKEA coming soon. It would be good if someone who doesn’t know the area well could point out where signs should be.

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that it is a complicated section of intersections, compounded by the fact that there is a lot of construction activity at the moment.  The bridge over the Molonglo is close to completion which will make it much easier for through traffic. However, he will get Roads ACT to review signage when the works are complete to make sure it is coherent and consistent, and with IKEA the Government is undertaking further works to ensure traffic flows.

OUTCOME: The Director of Roads ACT spoke to the caller and advised a review of signage after completion of Majura Parkway project will be undertaken to ensure it is adequate and assists motorists travelling to various destinations.


Directorate:   Health

Issue: The caller said that after a television report on the news about waiting times in the ACT being reduced from 70 days to 50 days that this may mislead some people into thinking they would not wait longer than that. The caller had a personal surgery that has taken a long time and although not complaining, the reality is that if the public think that they will only be waiting 50 days they will be mistaken.

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that waiting times vary on types of procedures and that a 30 second television report would not have been able to communicate the complexities adequately, using only the median waiting days across all elective surgeries as an indicator. The waiting times over all elective surgeries has reduced from over 70 days down to the low forties, however that doesn’t mean that there are not still challenges in some surgeries with longer waiting times. The Deputy Chief Minister said he would get the Health Directorate to contact the caller about his own surgery to check on the waiting times.

OUTCOME: ACT Health contacted the caller to explain that average waiting times which are reported in the media relate to national reporting for all hospitals across Australia. The caller’s individual circumstances were discussed with him. 

SMS/TEXT


Directorate: Economic Development

Issue: If you want kids to be more active drop the fees on sporting bodies to hire sporting venues.

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said the Government works to keep the fees as low as possible but there are maintenance costs associated with the sports grounds. The sporting venues are very widely used. You only need to go to a sports field on a Saturday to see it.


Directorate: TAMS

Issue: Could I request that bike paths and footpaths be swept and correctly maintained. Many of them are dangerous. Contractors who cut the grass need to be forced to clean up after themselves.

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that the contractors that mow the lawns and cut grass for TAMS are required to leave it in a tidy state. He asked that the caller provide specific details of an area so that TAMS could follow up.

OUTCOME: An officer from TAMS contacted the caller. The caller advised the officer of the location where there were issues and the officer advised that the leaf and debris build up will addressed. These matters can be reported via the Fix My Street portal or by contacting Access Canberra on 13 22 81.


Directorate: ACT Policing

Issue: Can Police access MyWay data the same as NSW Police can access Opal card data?

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that the MyWay data can be requested by Police only if it is in relation to a criminal matter or a missing persons case consistent with privacy laws in the ACT.


Directorate: Economic Development

Issue: What is happening with the Gungahlin cinema complex?

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that this is progressing and they are working with a preferred contractor to finalise the contract. The Government has awarded the right to develop a cinema so construction should start shortly after.


Directorate: EPD - Environment

Issue: Simple carp solution. Give people $5 for each one they clear out of our waterways. It worked interstate in the past for foxes.

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that there is an annual “Canberra Carp out” that occurs at Lake Burley Griffin and they certainly do get a lot of fish, however the real problem with the level of pollution in our waterways is not really driven by the carp, it is driven by what we put in the water in urban areas and that is what the Government is very focused on trying to fix with the Canberra Clean Water Program. There will be more announcements on this program in the coming months.


Directorate:  TAMS

Issue: There is work being done at the moment replacing underground cables to street lights in Raymond St Ainslie. Have you considered solar PV lights which need no cables? Cost of new lights vs. expensive digging and cable replacement?

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that solar mining is certainly an option. As a city, Canberra has a target of 90% renewable energy, so by 2020 we are going to see all our street lights powered by renewable energy. The issue with existing cables is that it will become a safety issue due to their age, so they do need to be replaced. The solar technology may not be sufficient to power a street just on solar panels, so it may not be suitable for street lighting of the road way itself but it could be followed up.

OUTCOME: An officer from TAMS contacted the caller and explained the reasons why solar power could not be used for street lighting, including issues associated with mature trees and battery replacement.  The energy efficiencies made by the ACT Government through the installation of LED lighting were explained to the caller.


Directorate:  Economic Development

Issue: Deputy Chief Minister. Is there a protocol for celebrating our Canberra based sports people when they achieve significant success? Some of our rugby players are hopeful of a remarkable achievement - winning a world cup. What would be done to recognise this achievement?

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that the Government does actively celebrate the success of our athletes in all different fields, right across all areas of athletic endeavour. Normally the Chief Minister will hold a reception at the Legislative Assembly, and sometimes there is also a public reception in Civic square and some of those have been quite notable. It has been traditional to present symbolically the keys to the city to a number of our sporting teams over the years. That is generally the way the Government chooses to recognise not only their great achievements but also the fact that they are great ambassadors of our city.


Directorate: Access Canberra

Issue: Following on from the first call this morning we are now living opposite a junk mail distribution centre operating from a garage in a narrow suburban street. We now look out on a rubbish dump and endure a constant stream of large trucks and cars blocking the driveways at all hours. How is this ok?

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that it is possible to operate a small business from home and there are rules around that. It comes down to the level of vehicle activity that occurs and also what the type of business that is operating. Planning authorities can look into this if it is causing inconveniences, and if the listener would like to share further details about the location EPD can look into it.

OUTCOME: A home business does not need development approval if:

(a) No more than 2 people work on the premises at any time; and

(b) Anyone who works on the premises genuinely lives there; and

(c) The area used for the business (including storage) is not more than 40m2; and

(d) Any vehicles parked for the purposes of the business are parked in a driveway, garage, carport or location screened from the road; and

(e) Averaged over 7 days, the business does not generate more than 5 vehicle arrivals each day.

In general, Home Businesses are permitted to allow for small scale enterprises which give a base for initial operations but will ideally move on to a more suitable premises if the Home Business grows in scale. An exempt Home Business does not require a Traffic Management Plan, however a non-exempt Home Business needs to satisfy, through a development application, that the business will not unacceptably affect the flow of local traffic. If a DA is required the application is to include a clearly dimensioned site plan of the property indicating existing and proposed landscaping and screening, the location, number and dimensions of on-site parking indicating whether for staff, visitors, residents & commercial vehicles. Depending on the scale, a Traffic Management Plan could be requested during assessment.


Directorate: CMTEDD – Healthy Weight Initiative

Issue: On fat and sugar tax. I think that it should focus on processed/packaged food. I'd hate to see the raw ingredients themselves (butter or olive oil) taxed as they are all part of healthy diet for those that prepare their meals/food from scratch

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister agreed that was absolutely right and said that one of the many complexities of introducing a sugar tax was whether to tax ingredients or finished products.


Directorate:  EPD - Environment

Issue: (MMS picture sent of catfish) These catfish are stirring up the sediment in Point Hut Pond in Gordon this morning. How can we reduce their numbers?

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said he was no expert on fish but the problem with sedimentation in Point Hut Pond is an issue that the Government has been working on and are currently finalising a shortlist of sites for the $85million Canberra Clean Water project. The project is designed to improve water quality in a number of our urban lakes and ponds. It is including some in the Tuggeranong Valley and Lake Tuggeranong itself. In terms of this issue, we will get scientists from EPD to go out and have a look as they do monitor the fish stocking projects in urban ponds.


Directorate: TAMS

Issue: There is a hedge on the footpath of Kitchener street and Gilmore crescent in Garran that causes near misses on a daily basis as it obscures vision. Is there anything can be done about giant hedges?

Response: The Deputy Chief Minister said that if it is a line of sight issue for roads he will organise ACT Roads to go out and have a look.

OUTCOME: An officer from TAMS contacted the caller and advised that the site will be inspected to assess line of site requirements and who owns the vegetation that may be causing line of sight issues. Additionally Roads ACT will inspect the site and assess line of sight. If proven to be a problem, action will follow to trim the hedges by TAMS if on public land; otherwise the resident will be requested to do the trimming if on private land.


Call Not Answered On Air but followed up

Directorate: Economic Development

Issue: The Federal Communications Minister today said that 134 thousand homes in ACT now have NBN under construction. That sounds like all of them. Has TransAct been sold?

OUTCOME: TransACT was sold to iiNet in November 2011. It is understood that there have been discussions between nbnTM and iiNet about possible acquisition of iiNet/TransACT’s FTTN (fibre-to-the-node) network which is connected to around 65,000 premises, however the ACT Government is not party to these discussions.  Earlier, nbnTM purchased TransACT’s FTTP (fibre-to-the-premises) network, and the 12,000 customers on this network are being migrated to the NBN. In October 2015 nbnTM published its three year construction plan which indicates that by 2018 136,000 ACT premises will be covered by nbn or their coverage will be in the process of construction.