Page 3051 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 September 1994

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ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, LAND AND PLANNING

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION

QUESTION NO 1326

Noise Pollution Policy - Potential Conflict of Interest

Mrs Carnell - asked the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning - In relation to motorsport and a minute paper prepared by the Pollution Control Authority for your Department in September 1992 canvassing options for resolving complaints about noise levels caused by motorsports at Fairbaim Park and Sutton Road Complexes and your statement in your letter published by The Canberra Times on 3 March 1993:

"The article ...headed Influential group may close raceway implied that senior officers iii my department had used their official positions to ensure that residents of the Ridgeway were able to secure new rules about noise limits at Sutton Road/Fairbairn Park complex. That is a serious allegation and I wish to refute it in the strongest terms.

The decision about noise limits was made by me in my capacity as Minister for the Environment. Only one of the officers named in the article was involved in the policy development process and I am assured by the head of my department that the officer made appropriate declarations of private interest."

(1) Was the officer who prepared the minute paper a member of the Ridgeway Residents Association, and lived on a property adjacent to the Ridgeway Estate throughout the entire period she worked on the development of noise control policy for Sutton Road and Fairbairn Park.

(2) At what time (a) did you become aware of the potential conflict of interest;

(b) what action did you take to deal with this conflict; and

(3) At what time did you become aware of the fact that the officer was in fact a so-

called active member of the Ridgeway Residents Association.

(4) Do you stand by your claim that there was no possible conflict of interest

arising from the assessment of noise limits for the Sutton Park and Fairbairn

Park facilities by an officer of the Pollution Control Authority.

(5) Can you advise what this Government considers amounts to an appropriate

declaration of private interest.

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