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MRS CARNELL: Possibly the major reason for that is, as Michael Lee said in his press release after the agreement had been reached between the ACT Government and the Commonwealth Government, that all the ACT Government was doing, or I had done, was actually continuing the negotiations that were in their final phases with the previous Government and Ms Follett, and which had been going on for a number of years, as you would obviously be aware and certainly as Michael Lee was very well aware. The issue with the Stock Exchange is that we had one meeting in my office. There were backup discussions with Treasury and with my chief of staff. We asked for the Stock Exchange to come back with a final offer. It has yet to do so.

MR WHITECROSS: As a supplementary question: Mrs Carnell, did you consult the Minister for Business, Employment and Tourism on your approach to this matter, and is this an example of what Mr De Domenico means when he says that the Liberal Government will have the ACT open for business?

MRS CARNELL: The answer to the first one is yes, but the answer as well is that this Government will not enter into agreements with people who have not offered one.

Water Pollution - Gungahlin

MS HORODNY: My question without notice is to the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning. Is the Minister aware that there are significant pollution control problems associated with excessive run-off from building sites in Gungahlin?

MR HUMPHRIES: I thank Ms Horodny for her question. I am aware that, in the past, there have been concerns expressed about this and I understand that there have been ongoing issues of monitoring of those sites where run-off has been a problem. One of the ways in which the Government proposes to address this, in the future planning of Gungahlin, is to make efforts to ensure that appropriate arrangements for run-off are made before building work commences on particular sites where run-off might be expected to be a major problem. If Ms Horodny has concerns about particular sites, I am happy to brief her, either on the floor or privately, about particular sites. I am happy to take on notice that part of the question that deals with the general policy of dealing with these sorts of run-off issues. We certainly do not wish to contribute to any higher level of pollution of the ACT’s waterways than is necessary, and we will be taking measures to monitor that situation on an ongoing basis. I am very happy to provide any further information that she requires. If she would like to be more specific, either privately or in a supplementary question, I am happy to do that.

MS HORODNY: I can do that with a supplementary question. What is the Government intending to do to alleviate the siltation problems, in particular, at Gungahlin ponds, which is resulting in significant downstream pollution in Ginninderra Creek?

MR HUMPHRIES: I will take that question on notice, Mr Speaker.

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