Page 2460 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 7 August 1990
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MR STEVENSON: It is 27 February 1990. They said that there is no particular difference; that is the problem. We have just spoken to them, and they said that the problems are still there.
Mr Collaery: To whom did you speak?
MR STEVENSON: Ross Gengos.
Mr Kaine: That is not what he said on Sunday, Dennis.
MR STEVENSON: Once again we can go only on what he said. In February, nearly six months ago, he said:
We reject the recommendation that the Assembly should take no further action for a period of six months while these negotiations are carried out.
... We therefore reject the Report, and oppose its adoption by the Assembly.
Mr Berry: When did you last talk to him, Dennis?
MR STEVENSON: He was spoken to about four minutes ago. You saw the report that was just brought in; the letter of 27 February is still okay. Since then CARTA and its members have done much more work to refine it, but it did not substantially change anything. CARTA membership has grown greatly, and there are many more examples of the problems. Members of CARTA are saying that nothing has changed since they wrote the letter. I have spoken to people in the malls in the last few months. There are enormous problems, and they are not getting better; they are remaining the same. They have been very bad, and they remain bad.
They are concerned that something be done urgently. If something is being done urgently - it has already been six months - that is fine. Where is the urgency to the matter? People could be losing their businesses. About two months ago one of the landlords was refusing to renew the tenancy of a business that had been there for some time, but there was no practical reason for that refusal. A reason was that the tenant was prepared to speak up within the mall and say that something needed to be done. I have spoken to the tenant over a number of years. That person is perfectly reasonable and runs a very sound business but is being driven out simply because of being prepared to speak up.
The claim has been made - and it is quite true - that any number of people were not prepared to talk to the committee for fear of retribution. One can understand, in the light of things that have happened. We should not need to reiterate the problems. We know that once you are in a mall you basically do as you are told, pay what you are told to pay, and go where you are told to go. That is the problem.
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