Page 4870 - Week 16 - Thursday, 29 November 1990
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I will not speak for long on this matter. I think the report states quite clearly what the committee has identified. I think it is appropriate to read into the record the terms of reference for this inquiry:
That the ACT Legislative Assembly ... (6) resolves to refer Mr Berry's notice of motion relating to the renaming of 'Rhodes Place' to the Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Infrastructure for a report by 29 November 1990 on the feasibility of the proposal.
I think the important word there, Mr Speaker, is "feasibility". I believe that the committee, in its deliberations, has done just that. It has received advice from the Attorney-General, the Department of the Environment, Land and Planning and the National Capital Planning Authority basically in relation to whether the ACT Government has a legal power to rename Rhodes Place, Yarralumla.
The committee, following its examination of this evidence, believes that the ACT Government does have the power to rename any street within Territory land, within which this particular site falls. However, the committee considered, I think quite rightly, only the feasibility aspect, and I think on the basis of that the report stands on its own. It says that it is feasible. The conclusions state:
After consideration of all written evidence the Committee came to the following conclusions about the feasibility of renaming Rhodes Place:
(1) The ACT Government has the clear legal power to rename Rhodes Place, Yarralumla. This power is vested with the ACT Government by virtue of s.37 and schedule 4 of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 (Cth).
(2) The power to rename Rhodes Place under the relevant ACT legislation - The Public Names Act 1989 (ACT) - rests with the "Minister". Under present ACT administrative arrangements this means that the Chief Minister has the power to rename Rhodes Place.
(3) It is customary for the Lands Division, within the Department of Environment, Land and Planning to advise the "Minister" on street names.
One final comment that I wish to make on this matter, Mr Speaker, is that the committee did not seek to suggest whether Rhodes Place should be renamed any other name, which we believe was outside our terms of reference. However, we did note in paragraph 1.10 that the committee
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