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We have, I believe, offered some constructive criticism both inside and outside the Assembly, and we have said that we are prepared to work with this initiative to improve it. Suggestions such as integrating evaluative mechanisms in the process from the beginning are not an attack on the whole process. Evaluative mechanisms are basic good process in the development of any process.

Mr Humphries stated in this Assembly on Tuesday, “We have to ask people to do a job within the framework of existing research and decision-making processes”. I thought the role of LAPACs was to expand and offer a different approach to the current decision-making processes, and we support it in principle as such. Mr Kaine claimed that he knows that the people who are presently on the LAPACs are representative of the community. I would agree that some sectors of the community are represented, but we suggest that we develop the process so that we can find ways of identifying which sections are and which sections are not represented on such bodies.

The resourcing we have referred to is not for replicating what the bureaucracy already does but to make sure that all sections of the community are reached and given an opportunity to participate. How this can happen successfully is the subject of this discussion paper. I hope that this paper will provide a useful base for debate around the issue of community consultation and participation in the ACT and the general issue of community development in the ACT. I encourage people to respond to the ideas put forward here, and the committee looks forward to strong community discussion.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM - STANDING COMMITTEE

Report on Airports Conference

MR KAINE (11.17): I present the report of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Tourism entitled “‘The Future of Airports in Australia’ Conference”, together with extracts of the minutes of proceedings, and I move:

That the report be noted.

My comments will be brief. Members will remember that the previous Tourism Committee in the last Assembly submitted a report in June 1994 that made a number of recommendations about the future of the Canberra Airport. Recently a two-day seminar in Sydney dealt with the question of the future of airports in Australia. Members of the committee attended that, to keep themselves abreast of Commonwealth thinking on airports in general but the Canberra Airport in particular. Some interesting information came out of that conference, and we thought it worth while summarising some of the discussions for the interest of members.

The Government's program for the sale of airports was outlined in some detail at the conference. It indicates that the ACT Government needs to start to think very seriously about its intentions in connection with the Canberra Airport, because the Canberra Airport will be included in those offered for sale by the Commonwealth in 1997-98,

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