Page 3921 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 23 October 1990
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The Commonwealth Government should be responsible for the demolition of the buildings and therefore I support the recommendation that the Commonwealth Government be asked to fund the cost of the demolition. I am not sure, though, Mr Deputy Speaker, that I have much faith in that recommendation. It will no doubt join the long queue of facilities let run down by the Federal Labor Government prior to self-government and which the Commonwealth now chooses to ignore.
This report has requested the Department of Urban Services to report back to the committee. This should be done quickly and then the committee can announce its final recommendations.
I have not mentioned the Orroral Valley tracking station to the same extent as Honeysuckle Creek. In fact I would have preferred, obviously, that both stations continue to stand; but the reality is that they have been allowed to deteriorate to such a state that there really is no alternative but demolition.
For Orroral Valley that means that the site walls should be left standing to a limited height above ground level, thus allowing future generations to easily recognise the site. Combined with placing a plaque on the site, this would in fact achieve this end. As I mentioned earlier, Mr Deputy Speaker, because of the more special significance of Honeysuckle Creek tracking station to the Apollo moon program, this is the station that needs more significant recognition. I commend the report to the Assembly.
MRS GRASSBY (4.45): This is important. This matter was brought before me when I was Minister and I felt that it was such an important part of Canberra that it should be sent to a committee so that at least the people of Canberra could have a say on what they felt could be done.
The Labor Party is pleased to have participated in the standing committee looking at the future of the tracking stations in the national park. The Labor Party supports the recommendations made by the committee but I would just like to make some brief comments about them.
The recommendation in paragraph 6.4 says that all environmentally hazardous material should be removed from the sites during the demolition. As members will be aware, there is a significant possibility of asbestos at both sites. There is also the presence of PCBs at Orroral Valley. There was a cylinder of halon gas and there is evidence of oil spillages on both sites, one of which may threaten the creek. The committee, quite properly, was concerned about these environmental factors and urges that corrective measures be taken to render these sites environmentally safe.
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