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Gallery of Aboriginal Australia was always a decision for the Federal rather than the Territory Government. I accept that the Federal Government has chosen Acton Peninsula, but I still regret that Mrs Carnell has done such an appalling deal on the handover of Acton to the Federal Government.

There are a number of other matters I wish to draw to attention because of my view that action on them could and should have been swifter. First, members might have noticed in the empowerment report a little addendum slip inside the cover. This addendum reflects the fact that the police have not yet brought all their instructions and procedures into line with the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, although the body of the report indicates that they have. I regard this as an unsatisfactory state of affairs, and I hope that Mrs Carnell will be able to account for it in her closing remarks. When I spoke on this issue in June last year - that is over a year ago - I stated:

... the AFP (ACT Region) has brought almost all its instructions and procedures into line with the Royal Commission's recommendations. Work has also commenced and is continuing on upgrading police cells to the standards outlined by the Commission.

That was over a year ago, and I would very much like to know why that work has not yet been concluded. If my memory serves me right, and it usually does, funds were allocated for this work from our deaths in custody money from the Commonwealth, and that was some time ago. I hope that both Mrs Carnell and her Police Minister will take this matter up urgently.

There is another fairly sensitive matter that I would like to draw to attention, and that is my approach to the Commonwealth to grant a lease in perpetuity to the ACT's Aboriginal community over two sites that have special significance to them. These sites are Boomanulla Oval at Narrabundah and the site of the cultural centre. I wrote to the Prime Minister perhaps two years ago on this matter and, despite following up my letter on a couple of occasions, I had not had a response at the time we went into caretaker mode before the recent election. I assume that there has still been no response, although Mrs Carnell might want to address that matter. It is my view that the granting of leases in perpetuity on these two areas may well be the ACT's major, if not only, recognition of the High Court's Mabo decision, and I therefore regard progress on the matter as having a high priority. Such progress is unfortunately a matter for the Commonwealth, under the Seat of Government Act, and I am disappointed that they have not so far been more responsive. Members may be aware that the overwhelming majority of the ACT's land could never be subject to a successful Mabo-style land claim as it was under lease or otherwise alienated many years ago. So the possibility of these leases in perpetuity, and perhaps some suitable arrangements in Namadgi National Park as well, may be the only means open to us to recognise, as does the Mabo decision, the right of Aboriginal peoples to land.

In conclusion, I express the hope that the next time Mrs Carnell reports on implementation of the Aboriginal deaths in custody report she will have some progress by her own Government to report, rather than a reiteration of action taken by mine, and I genuinely wish her well in this endeavour. Such progress is not easy.

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