Thursday 25 November 2010
Hansard of the Legislative Council
LITTER AMENDMENT BILL 2010 (No. 49)
(In committee)
Clause 33 -
(Exemptions)
Mr FINCH - This clause inserts a new section 50A in the act. Where a voluntary, not-for-profit or charitable organisation provides and manages a parade through a built-up area which has the potential for spectators and participants to drop litter, does that organisation have to apply under section 50A for an exemption? If so, why should that organisation have to pay an up-front fee of 80 fee units? I suppose members here would understand that local councils are always seeking the help of organisations to provide free entertainment et cetera for citizens, so why should an up-front or other fee have to be paid? I think it is a further disincentive for organisations to give their time and effort to provide entertainment. There is no provision that I can see for a refund of the fee. I think there ought to be no up-front fee or there should be provision for the fee to be refunded on the granting of the permit, and the former is preferable because the latter means that the organisation has to find the fee first.

Mr Parkinson - It is a fee of 80 fee units or another fee as prescribed by regulation, so you can have lower fees prescribed by regulation.

Mr FINCH- Yes, but I am still suggesting that an organisation having to find the fee first up and then it not being refunded I think is going to be a disincentive to organisations. The amount of the fee unit will increase periodically, so I just pose that question.

Mr PARKINSON - Madam Chair, as my advisers point out, organisations do not have to litter and of course they do not have to apply for exemptions if they are not going to litter. It may be that there is a function on that they want to release 1 000 balloons into the air or something. That, under the act, would be illegal, so they need to apply for an exemption. Obviously the act is there as a disincentive for everybody, including organisations, against littering. So if you want to litter you have to pay a fee.

Clause 33 agreed to.