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For example, the annual salary of a senior officer grade C - the bottom of the range - in the ACT Government Service would be $49,000, while an equivalent employee in the Australian Public Service would have an annual salary in the general range of $46,000 to $48,000. We heard Mrs Carnell say that there has been an increase in these areas. First of all, senior officers grade C will be at least $1,000 better off in the ACT than in the Federal service. For senior officers grade B, at the top of the range, the ACT employee can expect $65,000, compared to their Australian Public Service counterparts who are receiving an annual salary in the general range of $60,000 to $63,000. This represents a margin of approximately 3 per cent in favour of the ACT employees. Senior officers grade C are at least $1,000 better off and some senior officers grade B are $3,000 better off than their Australian Public Service counterparts.

As I said, Mr Speaker, this is a very fair, reasonable and responsible offer. It was fair, reasonable and responsible when the former Government made the same offer last year. It continues to be very fair, reasonable and responsible, as is this Government - very fair, very reasonable and very responsible.

Kingston Foreshore

MR CONNOLLY: My question is to the Chief Minister. What documentation exists, or will exist, in relation to the design competition for the Kingston foreshore site concerning the nature of the development? In particular, what parameters do exist, or will exist, concerning the mix of residential, retail, commercial, cultural and public use?

MRS CARNELL: Thank you, Mr Connolly, for a very sensible question. This is a really important issue on how the design competition will be worked and what parameters will be set.

Mr Connolly: The answer is, “We do not know”.

MRS CARNELL: It is not. I would hope that that is subject to considerable debate in this place. Although the Kingston foreshore should have some medium-density housing and commercial space as well, we would hate to see that on the lake foreshore. As we have said before, we would like to see it as an arts and cultural precinct. We believe that the old powerhouse could be a really exciting venue for all sorts of things. It is a very big site. We see it as a place for, possibly, artists in residence and a local gallery. Things like that could find a home there very appropriately. The sorts of things that could be there are limited only by our imagination. Our view, very strongly, is that we do not want to see housing or commercial buildings, or high-rise, on the lake foreshore. Where the wetlands and the Kingston foreshore come together, one of the stipulations will be that that area is handled in an environmentally-sensitive way; that issues such as the drain-off from the Kingston foreshore into the lake are taken into account when we look at the design criteria.

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