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Our water catchment policy includes the question of how we handle that in a total catchment sense. We do not measure how much soil is running off a particular development at a particular point in time to decide whether particular remedial measures need to be taken. The Water Pollution Act requires that we ensure that we take steps to minimise the impact on downstream waters from any of these sorts of developments. Those measures can include things like establishing buffer strips, using silt fencing, or hay bales in the water, or constructing a settling pond to require waters not to be disturbed further down. If the proposal goes ahead we will have to examine how measures could be taken to minimise any impact. Indeed, whether measures of that kind can be taken effectively would be a precondition of the development going ahead. I indicate that we will take that into account.

MR MOORE: I ask a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Is this complex planned as part of the ACT bid for sports events for the 2000 Olympics?

MR HUMPHRIES: Not directly, Mr Speaker. There is no certainty that the ACT will get any sporting events directly associated with the 2000 Olympics, and if we did they certainly would not be at this site in McKellar. Obviously, any facilities available in the ACT might be used for spill-over training and preparation activities by those who are coming to Sydney. For that and other reasons, there is certainly a strong reason to believe that the ACT would benefit very much from having additional facilities of this kind. The question of where they go, what size they are and how they affect surrounding residences needs to be worked out. I see that as one of the benefits - I am sure that my colleague the Minister for Sport does as well - but we will need to make sure that we can handle the environmental issues before this site is approved for this activity.

Student Assessment

MS McRAE: Mr Speaker, my question is to Mr Stefaniak, the Minister for Education. I say from the outset that the point of all our questioning has never been, and will never be, to find out the name of the school, the student or the individuals involved. We are not concerned with that. The issue we are concerned with is the Minister's capacity to explain his ministerial responsibility in the process of assessment. To that end we have discovered today that this Minister sought to have videoing undertaken. Minister, is this procedure a normal procedure? Does it support the statement that the Chief Executive made, that this fits within the guidelines of normal procedure?

MR STEFANIAK: I am instructed by the department that it is certainly not outside the guidelines. As I said yesterday, Ms McRae, as you should know yourself, as an ex-teacher, this is not a normal case. At all times, Ms McRae, I have acted in this case with the best interests of the student, and all other students, the school and the staff, in mind. The stress that has been placed on teachers in the school in question has also been foremost in my mind. All these factors weighed heavily in terms of any involvement I had in this matter.

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