Page 1827 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 30 May 1990
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statements because I would have thought that someone with Mr Langmore's ACT background would have known a bit more about the leasehold system. I can only wonder why Mr Langmore was making statements about the fact that developers would be reaping wide and long profits from the sale of schools.
Mr Berry: Mr Humphries said they would.
MR JENSEN: Mr Berry, if you will listen, I will explain to you the situation in exactly the same way as I explained it in reply to Mr Langmore yesterday. Mr Langmore said that developers would be making large sums of money out of the betterment tax from the sale of schools. But developers do not own the schools in the ACT. The schools in the ACT are owned by the Canberra community. It is not the developers who are seeking to change the lease purpose clause. If necessary, it will be the ACT Government that changes the lease purpose clause. There is no betterment in those circumstances, because those leases will be sold on the open market, not as schools, but for the purpose for which the lease has been changed.
Mr Berry: We understand, Norm. They call it selling off the farm.
MR JENSEN: Well, it is a pity that Mr Langmore did not mention that in his comments yesterday.
Mr Humphries: That was deliberate.
MR JENSEN: My colleague Mr Humphries has suggested that it was deliberate. That is the sort of scaremongering that those opposite have been indulging in and unfortunately Mr Langmore seems to have fallen into that trap as well.
Mr Speaker, the proceeds of sale of such sites also allows for the reserve price to be set on the basis of the new purpose. It could be housing. It could even be for the sorts of activities that are currently operating in some of the schools that have been closed. For example, Sports House is in an old school.
Earlier Ms Follett mentioned the Downer community centre. The new facility that has been provided there was opened by the previous Minister for Education. I have had discussions with the Downer community and I suggest that, rather than the Downer area being downgraded, if you like, as a result of its school closing, it has been revitalised because the community got together and encouraged the development of the area as a community centre. It did not need the school to do that. The community did it, and I pay some considerable credit to the people of the Downer Community Association, with whom I know Ms Follett is acquainted, for their activities in that area. That is good and I am glad to see it.
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