Page 701 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 5 July 1989
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
reasonably be expected to answer questions on each and every meeting.
With regard to Wollongong Constructions it might be helpful for the Assembly to know that there have been several development proposals pursued by this firm over recent years in consultation with both officers of the ACT Administration and various Federal and now territorial politicians. One such proposal concerns the land that was leased to Wollongong Constructions in January 1988 for the aquarium facility now under construction near Scrivener Dam. Given the potential that this facility has for adding further to the ACT's tourist attractions, I would hope that members would join me in welcoming this initiative of Wollongong Constructions. I should add that the land involved was on a direct land sale basis. As members will be aware, sites can be sold by direct sale rather than by auction where there are development proposals like this which are unique.
It is relevant that I have recently approved the direct sale of a site at Mitchell to Wollongong Constructions for the establishment of an acrylic sheet manufacturing business. At the same time I approved a direct sale in Tuggeranong to Electro Optic Systems Pty Limited to establish a high technology laboratory. Both these proposals were supported by the Canberra Development Board and were allocated on the basis of full valuations supplied by the Australian Valuation Office. As director of Wollongong Constructions, Mr Geoff Da Deppo was involved in the negotiations with officers of the Administration concerning his proposals. I would be willing to make available the files on these proposals for the private scrutiny of members, and I have brought those files here into the chamber.
Against that background, let me turn to the meeting that Mr Collaery believes that I had with Mr Da Deppo on 24 April, and his suggestion in this chamber that I arrived at the meeting with Mr Grassby. My clear recollection is that I attended a fundraising function on 24 April for Miss Libby Daly who is paraplegic and who is competing in the Miss Australia Quest. This was a fundraising function which was held at a restaurant in East Row, called De Depot, which I might add serves very fine Italian food and I recommend it to all members of the Assembly. It is owned either by Mr Da Deppo - it is called De Depot - or some company with which he is associated. Certainly it is associated with Mr Da Deppo in some way.
I attended at the invitation of a former colleague from my days at Parliament House - the other Parliament House - Mr Kim Bergman who issued the invitation. I arrived late to that function and certainly on my own. My recollection is that about 100 people remained there at the time that I arrived. I neither spoke to nor saw Mr Grassby at the function. I may have spoken briefly with Mr Da Deppo, but if I indeed did so it was a particularly brief conversation.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .