Page 1454 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 17 April 1991
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Mr Collaery: Where?
MR WOOD: At Hackett. It is okay to say that it is going to be retained, but in what shape? Is it going to be retained as a separate stand, so to speak, or are we going to have houses or medium density residences dotted in amongst it? My strong preference would be that the trees should be retained in a form. If you do go down this path of developing that area - and I certainly hope that that does not happen - that stand of timber should be left separate and should not have buildings arranged around it. I do not think that that would do justice at all to that beautiful area. Again, I would hope that it is a matter that the planners will take into account. Is there anything in the Act that says that they need to take that into account? It may be that that is not the case.
I should hope that my comments, which I will make, and the comments from the people of Hackett, as well as from people in other suburbs, will be attended to by the planning agency. We do not like the Government going down this path. It is not the path that we would take. We will do everything we can, in association with the community, to object to these variations. We will do everything we can to see that the school sites remain intact, with schools on them, until the election next year when the people of Canberra can decide whether they want schools there or not.
The debate during the last election campaign did centre on school closures, but nowhere in my memory did any party say that there were going to be further school closures. The public never voted on it. There is no mandate for anyone.
Mr Collaery: I have an answer for you. Give me the time.
MR WOOD: I will be waiting for you. The public had no expectation that there would be further schools closed. The ALP commitment was absolutely clear that there - - -
Mr Collaery: Oh, Bill!
MR WOOD: I know that you like to distort it, and you do it every time you get to your feet; but the ALP commitment was crystal clear. I will show you the newspaper headlines, if you like, which said that the ALP will not close any schools in this session of parliament.
MR COLLAERY (Attorney-General) (12.24): I want to respond to two points that Mr Wood mentioned. The Australian Labor Party had a policy on school closures at the last election. I have read it into the record in the past and people should see that it is - - -
Mr Wood: And I have corrected you time after time, have not I? Have I not corrected you time after time?
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Wood!
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