Page 2910 - Week 11 - Thursday, 22 October 1992
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Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre
MR LAMONT: My question is to the Minister for Urban Services. It continues the line of questioning yesterday about thunderboxes and probably the standard of questions from the Opposition this afternoon. I refer to the media reports about effluent and the member for Burrinjuck saying that he intends seeking New South Wales Government advice on what legal action might be possible against the ACT for the bypass of raw sewage at the Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre over the period 17 to 19 October. Could the Minister comment on this and the performance of the Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre?
MR CONNOLLY: Yes, the member for Burrinjuck seems to be taking a cue from Richard Carleton and indulging in a bit of high profile Canberra bashing, stumping his electorate and saying, "Those terrible people in Canberra are pouring raw sewage into your creek and thus causing the algal blooms at the Burrinjuck Dam". The fact is that no raw sewage has gone into the river. There had been a bypass, as I indicated earlier this week. That has been the case every winter since the plant was opened. There have been bypasses. This Labor Government has taken action to prevent that. We are spending some $6m to repair that. I would have thought that Mr Schultz would do better congratulating this Government for spending ACT money to solve the problem in his electorate, rather than issuing these media releases threatening legal action. The plant is conducted by ACTEW under authority from Mr Wood's environmental auditors. They have continued to license the plant and we are rectifying any problems. Our quality of output is far better than the quality of output that flows into Canberra from Queanbeyan.
Health Services Consultant
MRS CARNELL: My question is to Mr Berry, Minister for Health. I did give the Minister some warning that I was going to ask questions on this topic. Ms Annie Austin, who the Minister confirmed last week is contracted to ACT Health to provide senior executive services in his corporate services division, was awarded a Duke of Edinburgh scholarship earlier this year and to take up this scholarship in the United Kingdom she vacated her post in ACT Health for a period of six weeks. I ask the Minister: Is it true that, despite the fact that the contract with Anne Austin and Associates is for the personal services of Ms Austin, the Department of Health paid the consulting firm for Ms Austin's time while she was overseas furthering the best interests of herself and her employer, her employer of course being Anne Austin and Associates?
MR BERRY: It is refreshing to hear from Mrs Carnell on an issue other than pharmacies.
Mrs Carnell: I have not asked a question on that for ages.
MR BERRY: Hardly a day passes when you do not mention it, but that is not surprising. Last week Mrs Carnell asked me a question about Ms Austin and I took it on notice. It is a personnel matter and, as I have explained in this place before, I make sure that these details are checked out properly because they do relate to individuals, and discussion of individuals in this place, of course - - -
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