In just three weeks, more than 2,000 Canberrans have signed a petition sponsored by Liberal MLA Peter Cain, calling on the Labor-Greens Government to keep the green waste facility in West Belconnen open.

Mr Cain who will table the petition in the Legislative Assembly next week, said the Labor-Greens Government had been pressured by the Canberra Liberals and the community to extend the facilities license on at least a temporary basis.

“This is a band-aid solution, with no timeframe and no certainty,” said Mr Cain.

“As a MLA for Ginninderra, I have listened to the community and heard loud and clear that they want the green waste recycling service to remain open for business. It is a shame it’s taken the ACT Government so long to provide a temporary solution to the community.

“The Labor Greens Government still can’t be trusted to support the population growth of Canberra with appropriate infrastructure and facilities.

Yet again, Labor and the Greens have comprehensively proven that not only are they out of touch - but when the community have spoken, they are too complacent to provide real solutions in real time,” Mr Cain concluded.

Liberal MLA for Ginninderra Elizabeth Kikkert said residents and businesses in West Belconnen can breathe a sigh of relief with the news that CSG’s Parkwood green waste facility will not be closing at the end of this month.

“On a hard copy petition supported by me and on an e-petition sponsored by Mr Cain, thousands of residents have united in their opposition to this closure,” Mrs Kikkert said.

“Ginninderra residents must now maintain their advocacy for an alternative facility to be opened in the West Belconnen area before the Parkwood facility eventually does close due to the Ginninderry development. They will be backed the entire way by myself and Mr Cain.

“This could all have been avoided if the government had actually consulted the community in the first place.

“To anyone but this out-of-touch government, it was obvious that the closure of this site would be massively unpopular and severely impact many people’s livelihoods.

“The Labor-Greens Government are still closing this facility without providing a long term alternative. The reality of driving an hour and a half round trip from Belconnen to the Mugga Lane facility is still looming over many small businesses and community members.

“The community needs certainty that the government will deliver the services they want.

“I now call on the government to be upfront and proactively consultative with CSG as they search for a new site in West Belconnen for a green waste,” Mrs Kikkert concluded.