Page 1838 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 19 August 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, quite clearly the jobs that will be involved in all of these construction programs are jobs in the ACT. Our population is not static. That might come as a surprise to people opposite. We have, I believe, the highest growth rate in Australia, so quite clearly some of the jobs involved in these projects will go to newcomers to the ACT. If Mr Kaine or Mr De Domenico thinks that is to the detriment of the ACT economy, then they are in for a very short, sharp lesson in economics. Quite clearly, that kind of increased - - -
Mr Kaine: I do not need a lesson in economics from you, thanks. You did not do even Economics 1.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order, Mr Kaine, please!
MS FOLLETT: Increased economic activity and increased employment in the ACT are very much to our benefit, so I think Mr De Domenico is being very myopic in his approach to this whole question and it is churlish in the extreme to look upon such major projects as in some way not being of benefit to the ACT. That is crazy. Of course they are.
MR DE DOMENICO: I ask a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. I ask the Chief Minister, therefore: Have any of these plans, as far as she is aware, already been approved, or are they still in the design stage?
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, to the best of my knowledge, planning for most of these projects is very well advanced.
Mr Kaine: What does that mean? Have they been approved or haven't they?
MS FOLLETT: I know that, because of the work that has been undertaken by the joint task force set up by me and Ros Kelly to progress planning matters.
Mr Kaine: Mrs Ros Kelly! Now, there is a recommendation for you!
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! Standing order 39 does require members to listen in silence.
Mr Kaine: Come on! You had better apply that equally on both sides of the house.
Mr Berry: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. There was just a reflection on the Chair from the Leader of the Opposition, and that ought to be withdrawn.
Mr Kaine: Madam Speaker, that was no reflection. It was merely a suggestion that you apply your ruling equally, and I think that is reasonable and fair.
MADAM SPEAKER: I will take that as a withdrawal; thank you, Mr Kaine.
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, the task force which I referred to, set up by me and Mrs Kelly, has in fact been able to make very good progress in matters which affect both the National Capital Planning Authority and the Territory Planning Authority. To my knowledge, all of these projects have at some time been through that task force process. So, as I said in my initial reply to Mr Kaine's question, if there is anything further that the ACT Government or our planning mechanisms can do to progress these projects, it will be done. But significant progress has already been made.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .