Local Government (Highways) Amendment Bill 2019 (No 17)

[12.24 p.m.]

Ms ARMITAGE (Launceston) - Mr President, I agree it is timely the act is being updated.

Coming back to the present - coins: who can ever find coins when you need them? However, I agree with the member for Rosevears, obviously there is an issue that is not part of the bill - people are having great problems with these newfangled meters. It probably affects the elderly - and I class myself as elderly - and anyone over 60 is elderly when they are looking at how these meters work.

So, member for Rosevears, this is a thing of the future. We either keep up with it or we die. Fortunately living in the city, I do not have to use the meters. I was looking at an article in the Examiner about the Launceston City Council putting in computerised new meters last year. Those meters do stop you overstaying. If you are putting money in, the meter does not really understand what car has put it in, but when you are using the app, you can only load up to the time you are actually allowed. If you are only allowed an hour -

Ms Forrest - You can also stop it so you pay only for the time you are there. It is actually cheaper.

Ms ARMITAGE - Absolutely. It has been found that people are not being booked as often when they use the app because they are actually paying until they get back. Of course, not if you overstay your meter past the hour. The idea is to have turnover on the on-street meters and to encourage people to go into the car parks.

I have gotten off the bill slightly. My understanding - from speaking with council - is it is trying to encourage people into off-street parking. Many of those have become peak places too, without someone sitting there, it is still computerised and computer-generated.

The act needs to be contemporised and updated - not everyone uses coins now. There will probably come a time when there are no coin meters, which will disadvantage our older citizens coming in to shop. It is difficult to use some of these apps, even for those of us who use mobile phones all the time and understand apps. Sometimes is hard to see the screen at times if you do not have your glasses and it is not always easy to use an app.

I certainly support the legislation.