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The consultation process, which has been abandoned, needs to be secured. We need to make sure that there is consultation not only with the minority government opposite but also with other elected members on the issues which concern them about their continuing operation on that site. Those community organisations deserve the courtesy of proper consultation. I can tell you, Mr Speaker, that in my involvement in the Planning and Environment Committee I will work very hard to ensure that they get it. I do not think there is any member serving on that committee who would block proper consultation occurring with those groups.

Because of the situation that the child-care centre finds itself in, it is very clear now that there are a great many people who are unnerved by this Government's attitude. There are workers down there who are deeply concerned about their future. I heard Mrs Carnell promise, “They will be okay. Do not worry. It will be all right”. Mrs Carnell made promises before the election too, and they are starting to evaporate with the winds of time. They are disappearing from the scene. It seems that the Liberals have a different view of consultation from that of everybody else in the world. There has been very poor consultation on this issue. In fact, I think the only consultation that Mrs Carnell had was with officials of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet as they wrestled her down and said, “If you do not take this, you are not getting the $15m”. And Mrs Carnell said, “I give up. How am I going to explain this? I will have to go out and tell the people of the ACT that I have a good deal”. Then it appears that she rang Mr Humphries up and said, “We have a good deal, Gary. Do you want to keep your Ministership? We have a good deal. Yes, yes!”. That was the publicity that followed.

I think it was an outrageous turn of events which led to this Kingston-Acton Peninsula land swap. At the end of the day the community has to be satisfied that everything is okay on this issue. They have to be satisfied that there has been proper consultation. They expect it, given the promises of the major political parties and some of the others in relation to consultation. I know that our colleagues here in the Assembly who have committed themselves to consultation mean it. It appears that the Liberals do not. Ensuring that the Planning and Environment Committee considers this matter in full would result in a lot of satisfaction out there in the community.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (3.30): Mr Speaker, I must say that the Luddites opposite really have excelled themselves with this motion. These people - who ought to have heard the very distinct verdict of the community only a few weeks ago about their tenure of office, their lack of decision-making, their inability to face Canberra's needs with a vision of something better - have failed to heed that message and are now saying, “We do not care that we have lost the election. We want everything to remain the same. Nothing changes. Put up the barricades. Seal up the gates. Nothing will change in this Territory. You have a vision for this, but we are going to put the kybosh on it. You will not have your redevelopment of the Kingston foreshore. You will not have your extra jobs.

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