Page 3920 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 23 October 1990
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visible when visiting the stations, and it really is to dangerous levels. Because of the historical significance I consider it absolutely essential that more publicity be given to both stations, especially Honeysuckle Creek, and consider recommendations 4, 5 and 6 at paragraph 3.6 in the report to be very good ones indeed. I will not reiterate those. They already have been read out, I think, by one of the previous speakers this afternoon.
The report goes on and recommends that both tracking stations not be made available for private development, and I believe it gives good logical argument for this not to occur. The environmental issues and site rehabilitation are also well covered in the report and have also been addressed today. While I am not going to address them specifically, that does not indicate that I do not consider them important recommendations.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I consider it would be totally inappropriate to completely demolish the Honeysuckle Creek station, given the historical significance. However, I accept that there may be problems that the committee is not aware of and therefore consider that the recommendations at paragraph 8.10 are totally appropriate. I think in that case it is worth just reading those two recommendations into the record. They are:
That the Department of Urban Services investigate, and report back to this committee on, the possibility of leaving a part of the main building at the Honeysuckle Creek Space Tracking Station standing as a shell devoid of internal structures, for historical purposes; and that, wherever possible and in consultation with the ACT Heritage Committee, walls at the station be left standing to a height of 20 centimetres above the ground level, again for historical purposes.
That no demolition work proceed at the Honeysuckle Creek Space Tracking Station until the Department of Urban Services has reported back to this committee, as provided for in the preceding resolution, and the committee has considered that report and made further recommendations concerning it.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I have to say in conclusion that I would like to express my extreme disappointment that these two tracking stations were allowed to deteriorate to the condition that they are now in. The Commonwealth Labor Government was responsible for this. As is stated in the report, and as I said earlier, Honeysuckle Creek was closed in 1984. The responsibility was then handed over to the Department of Territories. Orroral Valley was closed in 1985 and similarly then handed over to a Commonwealth department.
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