Page 607 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 4 July 1989
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appears in today's paper in which the ACT Chief Minister has endorsed the very fast train project and she chose the Canberra College of Advanced Education "to air her views about the train". I ask the Chief Minister whether her expression of opinion only last Thursday was the correct one or whether her support now is the correct one. Why did she not choose to reply to the question in the Assembly only last Thursday but choose the CAE as the venue to give her opinion on the VFT?
MS FOLLETT: I am happy to answer that question. The reply that I gave on that matter in the Assembly last week was the correct reply and was in no way inconsistent with the remarks that I made at the CCAE function yesterday. I can see that there may appear to be some inconsistency in the way that those remarks have been reported. I do not take any responsibility for the way in which my remarks are reported.
The fact is that the Government has not decided its view on the very fast train in a formal sense. We have yet to do that, and I think I made that position very clear in the Assembly last week. I believe I have also made it very clear on repeated occasions - and yesterday was one of them - that the very fast train is an extremely exciting proposal and one that has a great deal of potential for the ACT.
The Territory, indeed, could stand to be a big winner if the very fast train proposal goes ahead. In terms of our regional development, tourism, employment, diversification of our industries and so on, that project has great potential for the ACT. There are also, as again I have repeatedly said, some other issues that need to be publicly aired. Those are largely to do with the environment and the effect of the very fast train on our environment, not just in the ACT but also throughout its corridor.
I think that the appropriate process is that those issues be aired in public, that there be adequate consultation on those matters. I am sure members would be aware that my party arranged a seminar on all of the issues to do with the very fast train a couple of weeks ago. It was very well attended; it had a variety of interests represented, and was indeed a very informative step towards that consultation process.
I do not believe that I have been inconsistent in my views on the very fast train in any way, but I acknowledge that on a superficial reading of the Canberra Times report it may have been possible to put a different interpretation on that.
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