Page 3526 - Week 13 - Thursday, 26 November 1992
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MR BERRY: As far as I am aware, your question related to promotions. These were preference in employment. I do not have the awards in front of me either, although I do have some recollection of one of them. I can tell you that the one that I have some clear recollection about was not in relation to promotions either. Again, the Liberals do not understand how the preference clauses work.
Mrs Carnell: You mean that you cannot be promoted because you are not there.
MR BERRY: No; the Liberals do not understand how these preference clauses work. In the ordinary course of events - I speak in a general sense, not in relation to particular awards - employment is offered with the influence of a preference clause. It usually goes on to say that, all things being equal, a union member will get preference for employment. Those sorts of clauses are not unusual. They have been provided under the Federal Act for years and years. There is nothing unusual about them and I do not know what all the fuss and bother is about. When it comes to promotion, and I think that is what your question related to, they are entirely different matters.
Naval Communications Station
MS SZUTY: Madam Speaker, my question without notice is to the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning, Mr Wood. I gave Mr Wood notice that I would be asking this question this morning. Labor MP John Langmore recently asked a question on notice, No. 1957, in Federal Parliament concerning the naval communications station at Belconnen. In his response Mr Bilney replied that he was awaiting a response from the ACT Department of the Environment, Land and Planning on the significance of residual PCB levels in the ground. He also stated that the sale of the land could commence in the year 2000. Can the Minister inform the Assembly as to whether the risk of PCB contamination of the land in question has been assessed as yet, and has the ACT Government been given a commitment from the Federal Government that the land in question will become Territory land after the Navy has vacated it?
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, obviously, there is a risk with that PCB contamination if proper steps are not taken to remove the PCBs, to the extent possible, to isolate an area and to take certain other measures. To that effect the ACT Department of the Environment, Land and Planning is continuing to work with the Department of Defence on the clean-up of that PCB affected land within the transmitting station area. The residual PCB levels will be addressed in accordance with the guidelines for the assessment and management of contaminated sites that have been jointly developed by the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council. In addition, the Territory Planning Authority, as we come close to the time of our own development, can set specific criteria to be met according to the intended use of the land.
Mr Kaine also is interested in this matter, because not very long ago he asked me a question about when this land would be given over to the ACT. I understand that Robert Ray, the Minister for Defence, advised Mr Langmore earlier this year that the Belconnen and Bonshaw naval stations will remain in operation until new facilities are built in the Riverina region of New South Wales. Construction of that new facility is scheduled to commence in late 1995 and it is planned to be
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