Page 843 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 13 March 1991
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The extension would have been on a continual rental basis, with the rent being determined by the Government. This arrangement could have continued for 10 years until 1999, at which time the facility would have reverted to the Government, which would not be required to pay compensation. Simply put, the Government would have received the rent for 10 years and then owned the facility at the end of the 10-year period.
The second option available to the Government was that of providing a 99-year lease for the facility. This, we believed from the start, should have been done by providing for a full and open public tender. That is something which we agreed with. After months of harassment by me and members of the public, this was the option which Mr Collaery, the then Acting Chief Minister, chose. But it must be stressed that it took a considerable amount of time and energy on the part of a lot of people before this fair decision was arrived at. It took an unbelievable amount of time - almost eight weeks - to get the answer to some simple questions which could have been provided in a couple of days. But no, it took eight weeks.
The option favoured by the Government appears to have been an incredible arrangement with the current lessee which provided as follows: Pay $32,000 a year for 10 years and you get the facility lock, stock and barrel; pay $320,000 and you get the right to some prime real estate and a facility worth a lot more than $320,000.
If this sort of attitude to the leasing of public recreational swimming facilities was supposed to reflect a deeply felt concern for the users of the Phillip swimming pool, then I am afraid I cannot see it. More significantly, I do not think the people of Canberra saw it either, which may explain the eventual outcome of this matter - and thank goodness we did get such an outcome. To be frank, I was outraged at the original decision to grant a 99-year lease to the current lessee of the Phillip complex without an open tender process.
The number of telephone calls and letters I received from constituents on this matter was also incredible. And, let me tell you, they were not very supportive of the Alliance Government and the way it was handling the matter. Frankly, why should it have been any other way when the Government should not have had anything to hide but would not make public its reasons for not providing for an open tender?
The debacle over the Phillip pool, however, was not an isolated incident. I now turn my attention to the latest little controversy to be created by the Alliance Government and one of its Ministers. I refer to the decision to demolish the weir at Casuarina Sands. This is yet another example of this Government's incompetent handling of the provision of public swimming facilities for the people of Canberra. It needs to be pointed out from the start that
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